The Force Balanced
by AnotherStoryFan
Summary: The New Republic is in danger. The Dark Side is close to wiping everything out. Only a trip to the past can fix everything. My first fanfiction, please leave comments.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclamer: I don't own anything, except my plot and my own characters. Everything else belongs to Lucasfilm/Disney. If you want to use my plot or characters, PM me.**

 **This is my first fanfiction, so any constructive criticism is appreciated.**

The Millennium Falcon landed on the roof of the New Republic's Senate Building on Coruscant. An old man and a relatively middle aged Wookie jumped out of the ship and raced downstairs. The pair rushed to the bottom floor and halted when they saw a familiar protocol droid.

"Oh my! Hello, Captain Solo!" exclaimed the droid. The man was the legendary Han Solo, the best pilot in the entire outer rim, General of the Rebel Alliance, and founding member of the New Republic.

"3PO, where in the blazes is Luke?" asked Han.

"Master Luke is currently meditating at the Jedi Temple," replied C-3PO.

"Come on Chewie, we gotta hurry!" Han said to his faithful Wookie companion.

Han and Chewbacca barged out the Senate door, commandeered a speeder, and raced to the temple. They burst through the doors and ran into the meditation room, where Luke Skywalker, founder of the New Jedi Order sat peacefully with his eyes closed. He noticed their presence and immediately his eyelids fluttered open, revealing two brilliant blue orbs underneath.

"Welcome my friends," he said, "I felt your agitation as soon as you landed on Coruscant."

"Cut the mumbo jumbo, kid," said Han, "Their ships are close, they'll be on us in three days, maybe less."

Luke's expression hardened.

"Give me time to meditate," he said.

"We don't have time, kid," said Han.

"Wrrrraaaaggghh!" growled Chewie.

"He's right," said Han, "We need a plan, and fast, otherwise we're all Sarlaac meat."

Luke pondered for while.

"Gather all Jedi and anyone who can use a blaster," he said, "Evacuate the rest to the emergency bunkers. Any flyable ship should be ready for battle at a moment's notice."

"Consider it done, my lord. Will you need anything else?" asked Han sarcastically.

Luke ignored him.

"After you're done, get Leia and meet me inside the temple," he replied.

"What're you gonna do next, Luke?"

"I have a long overdue meeting with some old friends."

()()()()()

After Han and Chewbacca left, Luke closed the meditation room's curtains and locked the doors. He sat down on his chair, closed his eyes, and called to Obi-Wan and Yoda with the Force. They almost instantly appeared in front of him. Luke bowed to them.

"Master Yoda, Master Obi-Wan, always a pleasure," he said.

"There is no need to call us Master, Luke," said the spirit of Obi-Wan, "For it is now you who are the master."

"Troubled, you are, hmm?" asked Yoda, "What bothers your mind, young Skywalker?"

"It is Darth Barius," said Luke, "He has assembled a massive army, one sure to wipe out the Republic. He approaches closer to Coruscant with every passing second. We are the last free system remaining. If we fall, the Republic falls with us."

"Coruscant is the only system left?" asked Obi-Wan, "Why did you not contact us sooner?"

"Strong, the Dark Side is. Clouds everything, it does," said Yoda, "More than one apprentice, Darth Barius has. Used their power they did, to keep us from communicating with the Jedi. Now being concentrated on other evil deeds, their power is."

"He has great influence over many systems which were once loyal supporters of the Empire," said Luke, "At first, he was just a minor threat that appeared on Mustafar. He started taking over the local mining operations. I went to confront him, with three other Jedi. I was the only one who returned. He has power and skill far greater than even the Emperor. I do not know where he came from, or who trained him in the Sith arts."

"I did," said the voice of a another Force ghost, one who had Luke's eyes and long blond hair. A scar ran down his right eye.

"Father!" exclaimed Luke.

"Always enter at the most dramatic time, don't you Anakin," said Obi-Wan.

"Master, if you'd let me speak, I could save my children's lives and the galaxy...again," shot back Anakin.

"Still arrogant as ever," sighed Obi-Wan.

"Anyway," Anakin continued, "Darth Barius was an orphan I found while on Alderaan. His parents bodies were next to his in the wreckage of the freighter crash I came across. I sensed a lot of fear, anger, and sadness, and because I was Darth Vader, I thought he'd make an excellent apprentice. I trained him in the Dark Arts and he became powerful... too powerful. The Emperor, who did not know of my secret apprentice, sensed him, and order me to destroy him, as he feared that he was powerful enough to overthrow him. I could not let years of my work be wasted, so I hid him on Mustafar. He probably developed a strong hatred of me, waiting all those years on that hellish planet. He must have trained a few apprentices, creating his own army to challenge the Empire."

"So why did he wait this long?" asked Luke.

"He was biding his time," replied Anakin, "He was afraid of you and your power."

"So now that I'm old and weak, he decided to attack."

"You are not weak, my son. You are stronger and a far better man than I ever was."

Anakin's eyes fell, regretting the decisions he had made in his life.

"Your mother would be proud," he said, "Of both of you."

"She'd be proud of you too, father."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Obi-Wan, "But unless we make a plan, the entire galaxy will fall."

"Hrmmm..." said Yoda, "Only defeated will Darth Barius be, if exist he does not."

"What is that supposed to mean, Master?" asked Anakin.

Realization dawned on Obi-Wan's face.

"No!" he exclaimed. "It is far too dangerous!"

"Our only chance, it is," said Yoda.

"What are you talking about?" asked Luke.

"Time travel, young Skywalker," said the voice of yet another dead Jedi Knight.

Luke whirled around. Standing behind him was the spirit of a Jedi Luke had never met before, but heard many tales about.

"Master Qui-Gon," he said as he bowed, "It is an honor to finally meet you."

"Master, what do you mean by time travel?" asked Anakin, "It is simply not possible."

"Combining with the Force and flowing backwards in time can allow a spirit of a Jedi to enter a host body," said Qui-Gon, "I have done it myself, though I only travelled back a few hours, and only remained in the host for around seven minutes."

"How would you this to fix our current predicament?" asked Luke.

"If Darth Vader does not exist, then Darth Barius cannot either," stated Qui-Gon.

"So your plan is to send someone back in time into a host body to try and prevent me from becoming Darth Vader," said Anakin.

Qui-Gon nodded.

"How would you even send a spirit that far back in time?" asked Obi-Wan, "This also brings up the problem of having to keep them there for at least two days, and finding the right host body."

"Another Jedi, the spirit will be sent by," said Yoda, "One who is strong with the Force."

"We will need to send the spirit into their original host body, to prevent the two spirits from conflicting," said Qui-Gon, "That leaves only Anakin or Obi-Wan."

"I'll go!" Anakin said almost instantly. "Not a day goes by where I don't regret my actions. This second chance will put me at peace, once and for all."

"No, young Skywalker," said Yoda, "Go you can not. Too powerful, you are, to be sent to the past. Even send yourself, you could not."

"So it's settled then," said Luke, "Ben will go. I wish to be the one to send him to the past."

"No, Luke, you can't be the one to send me," said Obi-Wan, "The Republic needs a leader. Do you have any other Jedi?"

"I might know a guy," said Luke, "His name is Finn."

()()()()()

After dissolving back into the Force, Anakin found Obi-Wan.

"It won't be easy, you know," Anakin said, "I was stubborn, confused, lost, and fearful back then."

"I know, Anakin," said his former master.

Anakin paused for a while.

"I'm sorry I killed you, Obi-Wan"

"I am, too."

"Look, I didn't know what I was doing. I became Darth Vader because I was scared out of my mind and..."

"Anakin, don't apologize for anything. You came back, and that's all that matters."

Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder.

"I can change this, Anakin, I can change everything. You will never become Darth Vader, and that's a promise."

"If you succeed, what will happen to you?"

"My spirit will become one with the Force. My past self will survive, though, and we will meet again, in another time, in another life."

Anakin bowed. Obi-Wan bowed back.

"May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"May the Force be with you too, old friend."

 **So, what did you think? Leave your ideas in the comments. Next chapter will be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here's the next chapter! If you don't know, Finn is the main protagonist of The Force Awakens. I thought I'd add him in, just to see if my predictions for his character after Episode 9 would be true. Tell me what you think in the comments, or just PM me.**

Finn walked into the specially built bunker at the Jedi Temple. Master Luke had enlisted the help of a few younglings to help convert the room into a meditation chamber. It was a well lit room that looked no different from any of the aboveground rooms. It was protected by 5 reinforced titanium blast doors and a squad of the finest Republic stormtroopers. Inside, a lone meditating cushion lay in the middle of a giant sphere.

"Master Skywalker, what is that?" asked Finn.

"That's a meditation sphere," Luke replied, "It focuses brain waves and increalses the connection between a Jedi and the Force."

"How come I've never seen one before?"

"It's been a project of mine. The Holocron keeper showed me an unfinished blueprint and I decided to finish it."

Finn observed the device. He would be stuck in there for at least two days, possibly more.

"Should I get inside?" asked Finn.

"Not yet,"said Luke, "Let me summon Master Kenobi. Let's give our new toy a test run, shall we?"

Luke pressed a button and the machine whirred to life. He walked into the sphere and was enveloped inside. He sat down on the cushion and closed his eyes. For a few seconds nothing happened, and Finn started to become worried.

"Are you okay, Master?"

The spirit of Obi-Wan materialized in front of Finn, startling him.

"Ah, you must be Finn," said Obi-Wan, "I've heard a great many things about you from Luke."

Finn bowed deeply.

"Master Kenobi," he said, "It is a great honor to finally meet you in... err... person."

Obi-Wan laughed.

"Let us proceed with our mission," he said, "I trust you are ready?"

"Yes, Master."

Finn deactivated the meditation sphere. Luke opened his eyes, and walked out.

"I'll try and give you as much time as possible," Luke said, "Remember, Finn, you're our only hope."

Obi-Wan mentally chuckled at the irony. It had only seemed like a few days since he had received a message from a certain princess telling him almost exactly the same words. But, he remembered, it had been many years since that fateful day, and now Luke was not the same simple farm boy anymore. Obi-Wan was brought out of his thoughts by Luke giving a farewell to his former padawan.

"May the Force be with you, Finn," said a bowing Luke.

Finn returned the bow.

"May the Force be with you, too, Master," he said.

 _May the Force be with us all,_ thought Obi-Wan.

()()()()()

Finn watched his master and oldest friend walk out the bunker. If this failed, this would be the last time he ever saw him. He approached the entry, and signaled to the lead stormtrooper.

"No one opens this door," he said, "No matter what."

"Affirmative!" replied the captain.

Finn closed the blast doors and walked to the meditation sphere. He turned it on, entered, and closed his eyes.

 _All right, Master Kenobi_ , he thought, _How does this work?_

Obi-Wan's reply was almost instantaneous.

 _I am transmitting a moment in time to you_ , he told Finn, _Focus on it, and feel yourself melting into that moment._

An image of what Finn could only assume was the old Jedi Council popped into his mind. He recognized a young Obi-Wan, Master Yoda, and someone who had Master Luke's eyes and hair. Finn could only assume that he was Anakin Skywalker, before he became the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Finn wondered why he was on the Jedi Council at such a young age.

 _Young Finn_ , said Obi-Wan, _It's now or never._

Finn put his fears aside and began visualizing the room, and melted with Obi-Wan into the Force.

()()()()()

Luke met his two best friends, droids, and his sister at the entrance of the Jedi Temple.

"Glad you could make it," said Han.

"What took you so long?" asked Luke.

"You know, the usual," said Han, "Chewie was being a furball, 3PO was being slow, and R2 was being R2."

R2 gave Han a zap.

"Watch it!" yelled Han.

"R2-D2, you rude little astromech droid," said 3PO.

R2 beeped furiously.

"You need to get your beeper cleaned with soap," said 3PO.

"You know, that could've been a compliment, R2," said Han, "And you zapped me for praising you."

"Enough!" exclaimed Leia, "We're here in the middle of a war and you're acting like children!"

Luke agreed with his sister.

"Han, what have we got?" he asked, getting down to business.

"I got everyone who can either shoot a blaster or fly a ship aboveground," said Han, "The rest are safely underground."

"How many ships do we have?"

"Not as many as Barius for sure, but enough to stand a fighting chance."

"Where's Wedge?"

"On the dock."

"Go with him and a small scouting party. I want to see what we're up against. Take R2 and 3PO with you. Leia, come with me."

Han nodded and turned to go.

"Han," said Luke.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Stay safe."

"You know me," he replied with his signature smirk.

()()()()()

"What do you want from me, Luke?" asked Leia as they walked into the temple

"You're a Jedi," he said.

"A Jedi who also happens to be Chancellor of the Senate! I have a Republic to manage!"

" I know you do, but I need you on this one. I'm taking half the Jedi to lead the counterattack. You have to take the rest of them and protect the city."

"And stay behind, while you do all the fighting? I can't Luke. I know you're taking Han up there and I just can't stay without knowing if the two people I love most are okay or not."

She was outraged. Why couldn't she be up there? She was strong enough, and her powers with the Force were as great as Luke's, if not better.

"You can't. You're the only one strong enough to command them," Luke said

"What about Finn?" she asked.

"He can't. You see, we're fighting a battle in both the past and the present."

This confused her. What did that mean? And why had he sent his apprentice instead of doing whatever it was himself?

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Luke stopped and turned towards her.

"Look, you're not supposed to know this," he said, "but there's no way we're winning this battle. He's just too strong. We're all going to die."

Leia was stunned. At first she thought Luke was lying, but she searched her feelings and realized that was not the case. He was so optimistic, encouraging everyone and telling them they would be fine, and now here he was telling here the opposite!

"No," she said, "There has to be a way."

"There is," he said, "It's what I've sent Finn to do."

"You sent him to the past?"

"No, he is simply helping the spirit of Obi-Wan to go to the past."

He explained his plan about time travel, and Leia was just left speechless. How could this possibly succeed? Her father, her biological father, was a monster. Leia had seen many Rebels, friends of hers, be killed by him in front of her with no mercy at all.

"It won't work," she said when she regained her composure.

"He is a good man, Leia," said Luke, "Obi-Wan will help him come back to the light."

Leia had always known her brother had a soft spot for their father. Even though she knew that Luke turned him from the Dark Side, she thought that it was impossible for him to turn without the encouragement of his own flesh and blood. But then again, Obi-Wan had been his master and already knew the future, so she decided that Luke's plan had a chance, albeit a small one.

"Okay," she sighed, "You win. How do we give Obi-Wan more time?"

"We stay alive," said Luke gravely.

 **That's it for chapter two. All of the chapters will be roughly the same length, and the next one will be up soon. Please comment what you think about the story so far. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, here's chapter three! I made some minor edits to the previous chapters and added a picture for the story. I disabled PMing, because the emails were getting annoying. If anyone knows how to disable email alerts for PMs, please leave a comment. Anyway, hope you like it!**

"Given our resources, I recommend we send only one Jedi . . . Master Kenobi," said Mace Windu.

Master Yoda turned to Obi-Wan, awaiting his reply. As his lips started to form an answer, Yoda's senses were overloaded for one small millisecond. There had been a disturbance in the Force, and it had come from Obi-Wan. The other Jedi felt it too.

"Master, are you alright?" asked Anakin.

Obi-Wan still had his mouth open. After taking a deep breath, full of clean, fresh air, Obi-Wan finally closed it.

"Kenobi? Are you okay?" asked Windu.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," said Obi-Wan, "In fact, I've never felt better."

Yoda thought this to be strange, but decided to let it go.

"Obi-Wan, accept the mission, do you?" asked Yoda.

"No, Master Yoda, I do not."

Nearly half of the council was visibly shocked. Obi-Wan had never declined a mission! Yoda thought that there was a very good chance that the disturbance must have had something to do with his strange behavior.

"And what are your reasons for declining, Master Kenobi?" asked Windu, rather sternly.

Obi-Wan didn't miss a beat.

"I have urgent matters to deal with on Coruscant," he said, "Something came up this morning. I have a lead on Darth Sidious and want to pursue it."

Yoda was troubled. Why didn't Obi-Wan bring this up sooner? Where did he even get the lead? His thoughts again wandered to the disturbance. Something was not right.

"Pursue alone, will you?" asked Yoda.

"No, Master. I wish to bring Anakin with me."

"Powerful, Sidious is. Even with young Skywalker, defeat him you can not."

"I don't plan on engaging him in combat. Anakin and I will find his identity and report back to the council. No more, no less."

"Kenobi, how do you even know your lead is reliable?" interjected Windu, "And if the council approves your so called 'mission', what in the Force will we do about Grievous?"

"General Grievous is a coward," Obi-Wan said, "If he's on Utapau, which he almost certainly is, he will decide to run as soon as he sees us coming. However, he will have no chance of escape if we corner him. All you need is a relatively experienced Jedi Knight with a strength for combat. Grievous has no power over the Force whatsoever. He will be quite easy to defeat, I assure you. As for my lead, I got it from a source who has helped me many times in the past and I trust with my life."

Windu pondered thoughtfully. It did make more sense to have two of their best finding a Sith Lord rather than hunting down a wannabe one. Still, it wasn't his call.

"All right, let's put it to a vote," he said, "Everyone for sending Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker to follow the lead raise their hand."

More than half went up, including Yoda and Windu.

"It is decided then," said Windu, "May the Force be with you."

The council returned the greeting, then dissipated.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda were the only ones left in the room.

"A word, Obi-Wan," said Yoda.

Anakin looked like he wanted to stay, but Obi-Wan waved his hand, and he left.

"What is it, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sensed a disturbance in the Force, did I."

"So did I, Master."

"Came from you, it did."

"If you're asking if anything happened to me, nothing did, except a strange tickling sensation. Don't worry, Master, I'm fine."

Yoda was not consoled.

"Meditate on this, I will. Now go, Obi-Wan. Waiting for you, young Skywalker is."

Obi-Wan bowed, then walked out.

()()()()()

Luke felt a brief disturbance in the Force, and judging from Leia's reaction, she had too.

"What do you think it is?" she asked.

"That would be Obi-Wan," he replied, "It means that Finn has succeeded. Our hopes now lie with him."

"Are you sure it wasn't Han?"

"Yes Leia, I'm sure. It would've been different if it was him."

They had been waiting at the dock for what seemed like ages. Han and the others should've landed hours ago.

"Can you feel his presence? I can't" Leia said.

Luke could feel how worried she was. Come to think of it, he was too. He reached through the Force, trying to sense the familiar presence of any one of his friends.

"No," he said, " I can't."

Leia turned even more pale than she already was.

"Look, I'm sure they're fine," Luke said.

"And if they aren't?"

Luke felt his sister's increasing agitation. He had to get her mind off of the scouting party.

"Go to the temple," he said, "Make sure the younglings are underground. Assemble your half of the Jedi. I'll wait fifteen minutes. If they don't come back, I'll go looking."

Leia reluctantly left. Luke stood outside by the _Falcon_ 's docking area. He waited ten minutes, then went to his X-Wing, which was docked across the empty space. He started prepping for takeoff. Just as he was about to climb in the cockpit, he heard a familiar engine noise and looked up. The _Millennium Falcon_ was lowering itself down, and Luke rushed to meet its crew. The hatch opened, releasing steam. Luke saw three figures, all descending slowly. That was odd.

"Han, what..." his voice trailed.

Supported by Wedge Antillies and Chewbacca stood a slumped Han, his clothes tattered and whole body covered with blood.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan was greeted by his former padawan as soon as he stepped outside the council meeting room.

"What was all that about?" asked Anakin, "Why didn't you accept? And is the lead real? And.."

Obi-Wan cut him off.

"Patience, Anakin, all will be explained in time. What do you say to a drink?"

Anakin hesitated, his impatience showing. Then he shrugged.

"Might as well."

They decided to take Anakin's speeder to the cantina, a place Obi-Wan had missed while he was on Tatooine. At last, he was finally going to eat, after years and years of being dead. Being dead...He had died, hadn't he. He had forgotten that in the excitement of the council meeting. It was as if it had never happened. It truly was good to be alive, to be a Jedi again, to be with Anakin again (well, except for his driving, which still was as crazy as ever!) But he knew it would be temporary. He had a mission to accomplish, and then he would become one with the Force.

He was brought out of his musings by Anakin, who shook him out of his deep thoughts.

"Master! We're here! Now how about that drink you were going to get me?"

They walked into the cantina, and sat down in a booth. Obi-Wan ordered two drinks, and they came almost instantly.

"Now tell me, Obi-Wan, is your lead real, or not?"

"It is, Anakin, but we are not going to go running after it right now."

Obi-Wan saw toyed with the idea of telling Anakin the truth about Palpatine, but decided against it. He probably wouldn't believe him, and there was no guarantee that he would not tell Palpatine about Obi-Wan's claims.

"Then why are we having this conversation?" asked Anakin.

Obi-Wan made a bold decision.

"I know about you and Padmé," he said.

Anakin's jaw dropped.

"How did you find out?"

"Please, Anakin, I've known for a while now," said Obi-Wan, making one of the greatest understatements ever.

Anakin's face shifted.

"Are you going to tell the council?"

"No, Anakin, I'm not, although they'll find out soon enough."

Anakin's expression tightened.

"And what do you mean by that?" he said, a little darkly.

"She's pregnant, isn't she? Just how do you think you'll hide that?"

"Stay out of my business, Obi-Wan."

"You had a vision of her dying in childbirth."

Obi-Wan detected some shock mixed with anger coming from his former apprentice.

"How do you know that?"

"Master Yoda told me. You went to him, looking for an explanation."

Anakin said nothing.

"Anakin, don't do anything rash. Sometimes, in trying to prevent visions, you actually make sure they happen."

"I can't lose her, Obi-Wan."

"I can help."

"How?"

"I'll find a way."

Obi-Wan detected great confusion coming from Anakin. The Jedi Knight stood up.

"Thanks for the drink," he said, and then left.

Obi-Wan sighed. What was he going to do with his impossible protégé?

()()()()()

Luke stood outside Han's hospital room. Han hadn't moved for an hour, and his condition was critical. Leia and Chewbacca had not left his side. Wedge Antilles walked out of the room and stood next to Luke. He had just finished talking to the doctor, Taur-Jol Jhang, who was a Jedi and one of Luke's friends.

"I know you just told this to Doctor Jhang," said Luke, "But what exactly happened?"

"Around two parsecs from here," Wedge began, "We were ambushed by a ship. A Super Star Destroyer. It must have been sent ahead. They were ready for us, Luke."

Luke nodded.

"Why didn't it show up on your sensors?" he asked.

"It did. We pulled out of hyperspace to investigate it, but we couldn't see it. Not until it was too late, anyway. It had some sort of cloaking device. I can't explain it."

"I can," Luke said, "Retro-reflective panels. Developed by cloners on Kamino for stealth clone troopers. The Clone Wars ended before they were ever used. It was kept in a mile thick, state of the art vault, 10 leagues underneath the sea. I have no clue how they found out about it, but this means the worst for us. Please, continue."

"Anyway, all of our ships, except for mine and the _Falcon_ were wiped out. We crash landed inside the hanger of the star destroyer, and my ship was totaled. The _Falcon_ had some minor damage, so while Chewie fixed it, me, Han, and R2 went looking for a computer terminal. While R2 hacked it, Han and I held the enemy Dark Troopers off. I suffered a few minor injuries, but Han was more banged up than me. We got what we wanted, and were about to board the _Falcon_ when out of nowhere came this feeling of darkness. It wasn't Barius, but it was definitely a Sith, and he was angry. While we were climbing up the ramp, he fired lightning at Han. Poor guy was in agony. If R2's bomb hadn't gone off when it did, Han was a dead man. The blast bought us enough time to escape, and now here we are."

Wedge seemed drained after telling his tale, both mentally and physically.

"Go and get some rest, Wedge," said Luke, "You've earned it."

Barely a few moments after Wedge had left, Luke was greeted by Dr. Jhang.

"How is he?" asked Luke.

"He looks worse than he really is," said the doctor, "He's fine and he'll be out in less than a day. Most of his injuries are minor. The reason he was bleeding so much was because the Sith lightning prevented his body from clotting wounds. All I had to do was calm his body with the Force, and he was as good as new."

Relief flooded Luke.

"That's just what I wanted to hear, doctor," he said with a smile, "Now if you excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

"Certainly," said the doctor, and she went back inside.

Luke's next course of action would be to find R2 and look through whatever intel the droid had retrieved from the star destroyer. Based on that, he would formulate a plan to buy Finn as much time as possible.

While walking through the hospital lobby, Luke bumped into a familiar face.

"Uncle Luke!" exclaimed Jacen Solo anxiously, "I need to talk to you!"

"Don't worry, Jacen, your father's going to be fine," reassured Luke.

"No, it's not that. Darth Barius is only half a parsec away. He'll be on us at dawn."

 **That's it for chapter three! Please leave your honest opinions in the comments. I love getting feedback from you guys and am welcome to new ideas. Next chapter will be up soon, and as always, thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four! I know I haven't posted in a while, but more on that at the bottom. Enjoy!**

Obi-Wan knocked on the door of Senator Padmé Amidala's apartment at 500 Republica. He was welcomed by C-3PO.

"Hello, Master Kenobi," said the protocol droid, "Do come in. It is very nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you, too, 3PO," said Obi-Wan.

3PO led Obi-Wan to the living room, where he was greeted by Padmé.

"Obi-Wan! What brings you to my humble abode?" she asked pleasantly.

It was so good to see Padmé alive and well. The last time he had seen her, she had just given birth and died shortly later because of heartbreak. Obi-Wan had to prevent that from happening the second time around.

"I'm looking for Anakin. I thought he might be here," replied Obi-Wan.

"And why would you think that?"

"Because I know he loves you very much, and you do too"

He saw a flash of shock in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Anakin are just friends. It's true that he comes to my place now and then, but that doesn't mean we're romantically involve in any way," she said in her calm and composed senator voice.

"Enough with the charade, Padmé. I know you and Anakin are married and that he is the father of your child."

Obi-Wan did not see a visible reaction, but feet that she had a great deal of inner turmoil.

"How did..." she began.

"I've suspected something for a while."

"Does Anakin know?"

"Yes. That's actually why I'm here. I told him that I knew, and he ran off to Force knows where."

Padmé sighed.

"I haven't seen him since this morning," she said, "He's been acting strange ever since I told him about the baby. He told me he's been getting nightmares about me dying in childbirth."

She stopped, tears forming in her eyes.

"I know," said Obi-Wan.

"Can you help us?" Padmé pleaded.

"I will try to the best of my ability," said Obi-Wan, "Your secret is safe with me."

"Obi-Wan, when you see him again, please talk to him. He's been getting more and more detached from himself. When I ask him about it, he says he's fine, but I know he's not.

Padmé broke down completely. She sat there, sobbing into her hands, while Obi-Wan watched. He suspected it to be be a mixture of hormones and keeping all her thoughts pent up inside. He sat down next to her and consoled her.

"I will talk to him, don't worry about it," he said, "Anakin is more than my former apprentice. He's like my younger brother."

"I suppose that makes me your sister-in-law," Padmé said, her tears finally stopping.

Obi-Wan chuckled. It always amazed him how in control Padmé was of her emotions. Even though she had broken down, she was back to normal in mere moments.

"Obi-Wan, please stay. When Anakin comes, we'll talk to him together."

Just as he was about to reply, his comlink started beeping. It was Master Windu.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said, then went out into the hallway.

The blue hologram of Mace Windu appeared in front of him.

"Kenobi, where are you?" asked Windu.

"I'm at Senator Amidala's apartment."

"Good, you're close. The council has an emergency meeting. Bring Skywalker with you."

"Anakin is not with me."

"Comm him and tell him to meet us at the Jedi Temple. Windu out."

The hologram switched off. Obi-Wan went back to the living room.

"I'm sorry Padmé, I have to leave. There's an emergency council meeting."

"Will Anakin be there?" she asked.

"I'll contact him. I'll talk with him at the temple."

"Obi-Wan, just make sure he gets home safe."

Obi-Wan bowed.

"I will, milady," he said, and then he walked out.

Padmé sat back on the couch and prayed that whatever it was wasn't serious and that her Ani would return home safe to her and her baby.

()()()()()

Luke observed the holographic projection of Coruscant and the enemy ships surrounding it.

"What have we got, Jacen?" asked Luke.

"Five Super Star Destroyers, although our ground to space imaging is only confirming visual presence of four," said Jacen.

"One is being cloaked with retro-reflective panels."

"So why aren't the others?"

"They probably didn't have the time or resources."

"The cloaked ship is much closer than the other four," observed Wedge Antilles.

"We should act quickly and take that one down immediately," said Jacen.

"No," said Luke, "By the time we destroy that one, the others will be on us. We have to keep the other four Star Destroyers occupied as well. Instead, we should try and disable the cloaking device."

"How can we even do that?" asked Jacen, "This is completely new technology and we just discovered that it exists."

Luke thought for a while.

"We blast it with an electromagnetic pulse," he said.

"That won't knock out their power systems," said Wedge, "They'll just go to backup power."

"But it will fry at least some of the panels," said Luke, " Seeing some of it is definitely better than seeing none of it."

The other two nodded in agreement.

"I propose sending a squadron of ships," continued Luke, "One of them will carry an EMP. That ship will fly into the Star Destroyer and then activate the device."

"Once you send those ships, the battle will start," warned Jacen.

"I'm counting on it," said Luke, " Which is why you need to contact you parents and tell them to get our army ready."

"One question," said Wedge, "Who's going to be the poor soul you send to activate the EMP? There's an army, not to mention a Sith on that ship. It's a suicide mission, for Force's sake."

"That's exactly why I'm going to be the one detonating the EMP," said Luke, "The initial loss of power will give me enough time to sneak away and find the Sith on that ship."

Luke could sense that both Wedge and Jacen weren't entirely sure that it would work, but they kept their doubts to themselves.

"Wedge, assemble your pilots," said Luke, "We take off in half an hour."

Wedge turned and left without another word.

"I'm coming, too," said Jacen, "I'm going to make that Sith pay for what he did to my father."

Luke detected a mild amount of anger coming from the 16 year old.

"All the more reason you can't come," said Luke, "Your thoughts of revenge cloud your mind, make you unfocused. Stay behind, and protect the planet. You will get your chance, Jacen, don't worry."

Jacen nodded.

"Should I tell my father to get his ship ready?"

"Yes, do that and also tell your mother to have our Star Destroyers ready to launch on my command."

Jacen bowed and left. As soon as he had gone, Luke unclipped the comlink from his belt.

"Rey, get your ship ready. You're coming with me."

()()()()()

Obi-Wan waited for Anakin outside the Council Chamber. He arrived five minutes after, and was not at all happy to see him, judging by the disgruntled expression he had on his face.

"Where have you been?" asked Obi-Wan, "I've searched everywhere short of the Outer Rim trying to find you."

Anakin said nothing and brushed past him. As soon as the council was seated, Mace Windu wasted no time in getting to the point.

"The Council has just received a report from Commander Cody on Utapau saying that General Grievous has been engaged by our forces. It will not be long until he is defeated."

Windu turned to Anakin.

"Skywalker, deliver this report to the chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue about his intentions."

Anakin stood up and bowed.

"Yes, Master," he said and then left.

Obi-Wan decided to follow.

"Excuse me, Masters, but I must leave as well," he said, and promptly left.

"Obi-Wan's been acting very strange lately," said Ki-Adi-Mundi, as soon as Obi-Wan left the room.

"That he has," agreed Windu.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan caught up to Anakin just outside the hangar.

"Anakin, wait!"

Anakin turned.

"What do you want, Obi-Wan?"

"Just a talk."

"I don't have time for this."

"Only in your mind you don't."

Anakin sighed.

"Just get to the point."

"After you left me at the cantina, I went to find you at Padmé's apartment."

"You told her?"

"Yes. She's worried about you, and so am I."

"And I'm worried about her, Obi-Wan. Don't you see? She's going to die."

Anakin jumped into his speeder.

"I can't lose her, Obi-Wan. She's all I have left."

His blue eyes were full of fear, just like the day Obi-Wan had met him. Obi-Wan leaned on the speeder door.

"You know, sometimes when we try to prevent the future, we end up making it come true."

"Now you sound like Master Yoda," said Anakin, rolling his eyes.

"What I mean to to say is that maybe you don't have to find a way to save Padmé. Maybe all you have to do is be with her when she gives birth. Plus, we have the best medical facilities in the galaxy here on Coruscant. She's a strong woman, she'll be fine."

Tension seemed to lift off of Anakin's mind.

"Thanks, Obi-Wan. I'm sure you'll still be giving advice like this 800 years from now," he joked.

Obi-Wan could do nothing but grin as Anakin sped off. Had he done it? Had he actually stopped Anakin Skywalker from turning to the Dark Side. A voice in his head told him he hadn't, not yet. Oh, well. At least he was a step closer. Wiping the smile off his face, he turned and went back inside the temple, and waited for Anakin to return.

()()()()()

The dock was now bustling with pilots, ready to go to war and making last minute adjustments. Luke met his apprentice at the dock, standing next to her standard issue Jedi Starfighter.

"This is kind of crazy, isn't it?" said Rey.

"Yeah, I guess it is," replied Luke.

"Mind telling me why you dragged me out here instead of Finn?"

"He's busy. It's a long story."

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't pry further.

"There are five Star Destroyers, and I suspect there is a Sith on each," said Luke

"So you want to help me to help you kill all of them? Um, I don't think you noticed, but we're kind of outnumbered."

"You'll be commanding the squadron of Jedi pilots."

"I thought that was your job."

"It is, but in case I'm delayed for some reason, I need you to take over."

She seemed to take it in stride.

"Okay, but how are we going to defeat FIVE Sith Lords? If you haven't noticed, most of us Jedi don't have the lightsaber skills you do. Most of these guys have never even fought a Sith before, if you get what I'm saying."

"I know. The only thing you have to do is to protect our Star Destroyers, while at the same time fending off their smaller ships. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I get the feeling that this is easier said than done," she said as she climbed into her ship.

"Hey, Luke!" yelled a familiar voice.

Luke turned around. It was Han, accompanied by Chewbacca, Wedge, and Commander Poe Dameron.

"Han," said Luke, "Good to see you walking around again."

"I'm fine, kid, it's not like I was hugged by Chewie."

Luke smiled.

"So what do we have to do, Master Skywalker?" asked Poe.

"Each of us will command a fourth of the fleet. For now, all you have to do is deactivate the shields to let me get inside the cloaked Star Destroyer. May the Force be with all of us."

They returned the farewell, and returned to their respective ships. Luke climbed inside his X-Wing. R2 beeped.

"Yep, R2, I think it's going to be a long next few hours."

 **Again, sorry for not posting for so long. I've been busy with another fanfiction, and this chapter is a bit longer than the others. I'll try to get the next one up quicker, but I'm not making any promises :-). This chapter introduces Rey and Poe, the other main characters of The Force Awakens. Leave your thoughts in the reviews, and as always thanks for reading!**

 **Responses to reviews** :

Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416: Yeah, they are. I'm going to write a big action scene in the next chapter, so stay tuned!

Temyslova: I decided I'm going to communicate like this for now. I realized that I didn't write Leia properly, so she's going to have a bigger and more Jedi-like role from now on. I'm not a big fan of the EU, and you're not gonna see Mara Jade in my stories, but since I thought that Han and Leia probably had a child, I decided to take Jacen's name since I'm horrible at coming up with my own.

Original Heartless: Thanks for the catch! It's fixed now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the slow updates, but more on the bottom. Enjoy!**

Obi-Wan stood at the entrance of the Jedi temple, pacing furiously. What was his next move going to be? He definitely had not succeeded in bringing Anakin to the light side yet, although his words may have helped a little. He didn't actually know much about what happened after Anakin returned, as he had been on Utapau, at least in the original timeline. Based on the security holos that he had seen, he predicted that Anakin had returned to the Jedi temple and had told Mace Windu that Palpatine was the Sith. Afterwards, Anakin went and followed Windu to the chancellor's quarters, were he had turned to the Dark Side. Obi-Wan's expression scrunched up further and his pacing increased in speed.

"Master Kenobi, what's wrong?" asked a small voice.

Obi-Wan turned. It was a youngling, one who he partially recognized, but couldn't quite place. It had been over forty years, after all.

"Nothing, young one," said Obi-Wan, smiling at little bit at his innocence, "I'm just thinking."

"What about?"

Obi-Wan decided to tell him the truth. He remembered Master Yoda once saying that the mind of a child was a beautiful thing. He decided to see if it was.

"Well, I've had a few problems with my friend," he told the boy, "I've been worried about his behavior, and he's not listening to what I have to say. I care about him, but I don't know how to make him see sense."

The youngling stared at him with his big blue eyes. They pierced Obi-Wan, but he let them cut through his soul. How could he refuse them?

"Master, sometimes we have to just keep on trying," said the boy, "If you care about your friend, and he cares about you, he will listen."

Was it really that simple? Did he really just have to keep trying? Anakin could be stubborn, but now Obi-Wan saw that the only way that he could conquer Anakin's demons was by being even more stubborn than his former apprentice. It all made sense now, and Obi-Wan smiled. He patted the boy on the head.

"You really are an intelligent one, aren't you?" he said to the youngling.

The youngling smiled and then turned and ran away. Obi-Wan watched him leave. Yoda was right, he thought. The mind of a child was truly amazing.

()()()()()

The familiar hum of his trusty X-Wing surrounded Luke as he took off, probably for the last time. He

shot upwards, and soon he was in the upper atmosphere of Coruscant.

"Red Team, do you read me?" he said into his headset.

"Loud and clear, Red Leader."

Luke checked the screen on the dashboard of his cockpit. He saw twenty-four other blips on his screen, indicating that his squadron was close by.

"What's your status, Gold Leader?" asked Luke.

"All here," replied the voice of Han Solo.

"Silver team is ready," said Wedge Antilles.

"Same goes for Bronze team," said Poe Dameron.

"Shadow team, what about you?" asked Luke.

"Everyone's in position," said Rey, "Activating energy shields now."

Each plane became covered in glowing blue energy. It was one of the modifications Luke made to the fleet after he dug up the designs of the prototype from the Holocron archives. He had made sure that every plane was equipped with them, and he was sure that they would need them now.

"All right," said Luke, "Silver and bronze teams go attack the sides and disable the main cannons. Gold team, go from the top and take out the shield generator. Shadow team, stay away from the battle and go wherever you're needed. Red team, cover me as I go in."

The other leaders acknowledged the orders. Luke's team was by far the smallest, with the Shadow team twice as large as his and the other three almost four times his team's size. Still, it was considerably smaller than the fleet of Darth Barius, which was rumored to be at least ten times the size of the Republic fleet, according to Han and Wedge.

Luke turned on his shaping radar, and the others did the same. They didn't have to fly for long before they found their invisible target.

"It's over there!" said Poe.

"Use your radar and engage now!" ordered Luke.

Within seconds, the orbit of Coruscant was engulfed in battle. The red bolts of the invisible Star Destroyer rained down on the army of the Republic, while the smaller fighters returned fire, hitting a seemingly invisible opponent. The energy shield of the Star Destroyer vibrated with the force of the Republic's energy bolts, but it didn't give in.

"Sith interceptors are coming out from the main ship!" said Wedge.

"Engage in combat," said Luke, doing a barrel roll to avoid one of the enemy fighters, "How long until you have the shield down, Han? It's getting a little one sided!"

"Hold on, kid, let me get these tin cans off of my tail!" replied Han.

"I see them!" Luke said.

He pulled up and rotated 180 degrees and blasted the interceptor on his 6. He banked starboard, and let off several shots at the interceptor chasing the _Falcon_. One of them was a hit, and the enemy ship blew up with a magnificent explosion.

"Thanks kid. Lemme see what I can do about that shield," said Han.

Han banked towards the shield generator. Meanwhile, Poe had hit one of the Star Destroyer's side cannons.

"I got one of the cannons!"

Luke turned his ship to examine the damage. The shield in the damage spot flickered, revealing the surrounding batteries as well. It was much larger than Luke had expected. R2 beeped nervously.

"Yeah, R2, I agree," said Luke, "We're going to need backup. Transmit a message to Coruscant. Tell them to launch the Star Destroyers."

R2 beeped. Luke turned his attention to Han. His squadron was leading an offensive on the shield generator. They were close to hitting their target.

"All right, Red Team, cover me. I'm going in!" said Luke.

He veered sharply, and the other fighters came up to him and formed a tight formation around Luke.

Luke heard a blast.

"I got it, kid! You're free to go!" said Han.

Luke sped towards the hangar entrance, keeping his eye on the radar. The star destroyer was still mostly invisible, but the bolts impacting it lit up small sections of it.

"Target the hanger door," said Luke.

His squadron fired, lighting up small areas of the hangar door.

"Okay, I see it. Red One, command is yours," said Luke.

He put maximum thrust, dodging the cannon blasts coming his way. The hangar bay was invisible again, but Luke reached out with the Force, letting it guide him. He flew closer and closer, until he was enveloped inside the carrier. The sudden visibility shocked him. R2 beeped frantically. He had flown too high, and had no space to land inside. Thinking quickly, he smashed the detonator button, activating the EMP. It let out an electric burst, and the inside fell into darkness.

"R2, brace for impact!" he yelled.

The lights flickered on again, and Luke saw that he was going to crash into the wall. He spun his spaceship around trying to reduce the impact, but swerved out of control, and smashed into a parked ship. His head smashed against his seat, and he knew nothing more.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan waited in the hangar bay anxiously. It was starting to turn dark, and Anakin had still not returned. He had thought about the youngling's words, and decided that he would follow his advice. He would try and get a conversation in with Anakin before he left. It was his only option left, and for the galaxy's sake, he hoped he did not fail. He checked his wrist chrono. He was usually patient, but this was ridiculous. Anakin should've been back ages ago. Unless, of course something had happened to him. He waited a little while longer, and heard the hum of Anakin's speeder. Finally! He rushed towards his speeder. Anakin jumped out, and Obi-Wan could sense his confusion and his tension.

"What happened, Anakin?"

Anakin brushed him off.

"I need to go to the council," he said.

"Anakin, why won't you tell me? What is it?" Obi-Wan already knew the answer to his own question, but decided to ask anyway.

"It's important, I'll tell you with the rest of them!" Anakin said, dashing into the main part of the temple. Obi-Wan had to run to keep up with him. He finally caught up to Anakin as he was approaching Mace Windu.

"Master Windu, Palpatine's the Sith Lord!"

"The our greatest fears have been realized," said Windu, "I will go with a few other Jedi to arrest the chancellor. I sense great confusion in you, young Skywalker. Stay here with Obi-Wan at the temple."

Obi-Wan could tell that Anakin did not like the idea one bit, but he agreed and went inside the council room.

"Master Windu, I suggest taking all available Knights and Masters to arrest the chancellor," said Obi-Wan, "Palpatine has managed to remain hidden in plain sight for three years, and I do not think he will go down without a fight. He shouldn't be underestimated."

Mace seemed surprised at Obi-Wan's suggestion, but he composed himself quickly.

"Hmm, you might be right. I'll take a few more Jedi than the ones I planned to take," said Mace, "You are a wise one, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan smiled as he watched Windu walk away. He hope that the addition of a few other Jedi would turn the outcome of the fight against Darth Sidious. Now all he had to do was make sure that Anakin stayed in the temple. He went inside the council chamber, where Anakin was pacing.

"Something on your mind?" asked Obi-Wan.

Anakin looked up.

"He told me he had a way to save Padmé."

"Of course he did. Don't you see what he's been trying to do? He's been preying on your fears, your insecurities. He's trying to turn you turn to the Dark Side."

Anakin seemed like he had just been punched in the stomach.

"But what if there is a way," he said, "What if he knows?"

"He's lying. Such abilities do not exist. I have looked through the entire archives, including the restricted section, but I did not find anything even remotely related to the matter. Besides, why are you worried? Everything will be fine."

The confusion emitting from Anakin was so great the Obi-Wan couldn't concentrate properly. Anakin stared out the window into the sunset.

"They're going to kill him, aren't they?" said Anakin.

"No, I do not think they will. Not unless he resists, of course."

It was the wrong thing to say. Anakin became more and more agitated.

"What if he's telling the truth?"

"I can assure you that is very unlikely, but even if he is telling the truth, is it really worth it? What would Padmé think of you?"

Anakin was silent. He stared out the window again, then turned to Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry, master."

"What-"

Obi-Wan didn't even have time to react. The council seat hit him and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

()()()()()

Rey saw Luke fly into the Star Destroyer, and saw the EMP burst. The Star Destroyer instantly became visible, but she had a bad feeling. Something had happened to Luke. Avoiding an enemy craft, she made a decision.

"Shadow one, you're in command now," she said.

She veered off to the side and flew into the hangar bay door. The enemy troopers had become startled by Luke's X-Wing landing into their ship, but they regrouped quickly and started advancing towards the fallen Jedi, no doubt wanting to capture him, at the very least. Rey wasn't going to let that happen. She fired at the troopers, scattering them. She manage to land on an empty space, and jumped out of her Starfighter, lightsaber ignited. She deflected the oncoming fire and used the Force to push a group into a wall, knocking them out. She flipped onto ground and hacked the remaining troops with her lightsaber. A few stragglers were flattened underneath a ship she moved with the Force.

 _Another job well done_ , she thought.

She remembered Luke, and rushed to the wreckage. R2 was beeping wildly, apparently unharmed. Rey jumped onto the cockpit and cut through the glass with her blue blade. She pulled out the still unconscious Luke and felt his pulse. She sighed with relief. He was alive, though he had a nasty bump on his head. Luke's eyes stirred.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"You know, fighting an entire hangar full of enemies by myself," said Rey, "Are you alright?"

Luke stood up.

"I'll live," he said.

"What do we do now?" asked Rey.

"I go and Sith Lord. You take your ship and get out of here. Our Star Destroyers will be here any minute now, as well as more of theirs."

"You're in no condition to fight a Sith by yourself. I'm coming."

Luke looked at her with annoyance, but then decided that she was too stubborn to argue with.

"Fine," Luke relented, "R2, find a working ship and then add some Republic markings to it. I don't feel like getting shot down by my own troops today."

They proceed went out the hangar doors and were greeted by enemy troops.

"What do you say to a little exercise?" asked Rey.

"I don't mind it," said Luke.

They ignited their lightsabers and slashed through the entire squadron, and then made their way to one of the ship's elevators.

"I think this one leads to the bridge."

They got in and rode it to the top, lightsabers ready for enemy fire as soon the doors opened. To their surprises, there was no one on the bridge, just a hooded figure with its backs to them, around fifty yards away. The figure was looking outside at the battle, and then turned, sensing their presence.

"Welcome, Master Skywalker," it said in a thick voice laced with malice, "I've been waiting for you."

 **Cliffhanger! Stay tuned for the next chapter, which I hope will be up sooner than this one. I've been busy with school as well as another fanfiction, and I have to balance my time, which I'm not very good at. As always, any thoughts on my writing are greatly appreciated in the form of a review. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**What's this? An early update? You must be joking! More on the bottom. For now, just read the next part of the story where last time I left you hanging on the edge of your seat!**

The Sith dropped his hood. He was a yellow skinned Zabrak, and he grinned menacingly, like he was going to enjoy what was coming next.

"I am Darth Voltrus," he said, "Apprentice to Darth Barius and the last face you will ever see."

"A pleasure," said Luke, "If you don't mind, why don't you go and tell your Master to come and fight me himself, instead of sending his underlings."

"My master is not far behind," Voltrus snarled, "A pity you won't get to meet him. He wants to kill you himself, but this is too much to resist. I'll just say that you were too dangerous to be kept alive. He'll never know the difference."

"You sound confident," said Rey, "I'd hate to ruin your ambitions."

The Sith suddenly released a burst of lightning from his fingertips, but Rey was ready for it. The electricity was absorbed into her blue blade and it dissipated harmlessly.

"You have been taught well," said Voltrus, "There's only one way to settle this."

He removed his cloak and pulled out his lightsaber. He held it horizontally, and ignited it. Two glowing red blades crackled from each end. Luke gestured to Rey. They split up, going from two different sides towards the main controls, where Voltrus was standing. The Sith twirled his lightsaber, eagerly anticipating the fight. The two Jedi reached him at the same time.

Blue and green crashed on red, and the air was filled with the smell of ozone. Voltrus parried the Jedi's attacks, twirling his saberstaff and flipping through the air to avoid fatal blows. Luke and Rey swung with precise, calculated moves at every opening, but the Sith was quick and deflected every offensive strike. He somersaulted to the side and landed a kick on Rey's chest, sending her crashing into the ship's console. Luke was now on the defensive. The Sith was unrelenting. He slashed at Luke's body with one end of his saber, and when Luke parried, the other end was already swinging at him. Luke called on the Force to aid him, but he knew he couldn't keep it up. The Sith knew it, too.

Voltrus swept his saber horizontally, and Luke barely managed to avoid it, putting his lightsaber up to deflect the blow at the last second. The Sith took advantage, and used the Force to push Luke off the upper deck. Luke managed to turn his body and used the Force to cushion his fall.

 _Need some help?_ , asked the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn.

 _That would be fantastic_ , replied Luke.

Obi-Wan had once told him that he and Qui-Gon had fought a similar saberstaff wielding Sith back in the days of the Old Republic. He hoped Qui-Gon had a few tricks up his sleeve.

 _Get up_ , said Qui-Gon.

He stood up, noticing that he had fallen at least fifteen feet to the lower deck. Voltrus stood, laughing.

"I'm disappointed, Master Skywalker," taunted the Sith, "My master was under the impression that the son of Anakin Skywalker would be more powerful."

Luke noticed Rey had silently gotten up, and had her deactivated lightsaber in her hand.

 _Don't let him get you one-on-one_ , said Qui-Gon, _I paid for making that mistake. Keep Voltrus talking_.

Rey advanced a little further

 _Not yet_ , Luke told her.

"I'm not the weak old man you think I am if that's what you mean," said Luke.

It worked. Voltrus kept his attention on Luke.

"Oh really?" he snarled.

Rey acted. Her blue saber ignited and she stabbed at the Sith. He was taken by surprise, but somehow managed to ward off the first strike.

 _Now Luke!_ said Qui-Gon.

Luke didn't hesitate. He used the Force to bring the bridge crashing down, and Voltrus with it. Rey flipped onto the ground, and landed gracefully on her feet. How did she know that the bridge was coming down?

 _Anakin's guiding Rey_ , said Qui-Gon, _Don't worry about her. Just focus on him._

The rubble blasted in all different directions, revealing a very angry horned Sith. Luke used the Force to throw one of the larger pieces back at him, but it only seemed to make him angrier, and the wreckage exploded into a million pieces due to the Sith Lightning fired at it. Voltrus came at Luke with unbelievable speed, and soon the fight resumed.

Voltrus was fighting with faster, more enraged movements. He parried and thrust so fast that it looked like he the eye of a red hurricane. Luke had to end this soon, as his energy was draining quickly.

 _Don't attack high_ , said Qui-Gon, _Try to jab him when he spins_.

Luke could barely even register Qui-Gon's comment. It took his entire concentration just to prevent himself from getting skewered. He switched to one hand, and let out a small Force push, which gave him half a second to catch his breath before the Sith attacked again. He saw Rey out of the corner of his, and he could tell that she was on the brink of exhaustion as well.

 _Go on the offensive_ , said Qui-Gon.

Luke agreed. He parried, then quickly spun, blocked Voltrus's jab, and then sliced downwards. He managed to catch a piece of the Sith's tunic, which distracted him for a split second. That was all Rey needed. She jumped up, over the head of Voltrus, and as she came down, sliced downwards. Voltrus parried diagonally and jabbed up, grazing Rey's shoulder, which caused her to cry out in pain. Luke took the opening and cut Voltrus's saberstaff in half. Rey fell to the ground with a thud, but Luke forced himself to ignore her and he kicked out at the startled Sith. Voltrus landed on his back, but jumped up to his feet almost instantly.

"You made a bad mistake, Skywalker," spat Voltrus holding the remains of his saberstaff, which was now as good as a normal lightsaber.

"I don't think so," said Luke summoning Rey's lightsaber to his hand.

The charged at each other, but this time Luke had the advantage. He blocked Voltrus's slices with one blade, while attacking with the other. Luke sensed fear in the Sith, and it grew with every passing deflection and near-miss. Luke brought his blade down vertically, and stabbed with Rey's saber. Voltrus was too slow, and the blue plasma sliced through the crimson blade's handle. The Zabrak barely had time to register what happened before his head was sliced clean off.

 _Excellent work_ , said Qui-Gon, _I'm proud, Luke_.

Luke deactivated both lightsabers, then rushed to Rey. She was sitting up and clutching her shoulder. She was in pain, but she managed a small smile.

"How bad is it?" asked Luke.

"Just a flesh wound," replied Rey, "Nothing a little Bacta can't fix."

"That was really stupid, what you did."

Rey smirked.

"It worked, didn't it? Plus it wasn't my idea."

Luke sighed.

 _Seriously, Dad_ , Luke said into the Force, _Your ideas are suicide._

 _And they happen to have a ninety-nine percent chance of success_ , came the voice of Anakin Skywalker.

Luke could could have sworn he heard Qui-Gon laughing.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan dreamed of the youngling he encountered earlier. There was something about his eyes...Then it hit him. He was the boy he turned over and found killed by a lightsaber that day in the temple. He saw Darth Vader, with his yellow eyes slash through the boy's small body, feeling no remorse or guilt. He realized that that day was today.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed. Vader turned to him.

"Wake up, Master, wake up," he said.

Obi-Wan's eyes shot open. There was another voice inside his head, and it was strangely familiar.

 _Wake, up Obi-Wan, wake up!_ came the voice of Finn.

Finn could communicate with him? That was strange.

 _Finn, I'm up_ , he replied.

 _Good_ , said Finn, _What do we do now?_

What to do indeed? Obi-Wan sat up and looked around. He was still in the council chambers, and he saw the chair he had been hit with. He felt his head and recoiled in pain. It had left a nasty bruise. He stood, and examined the Coruscant skyline. It was now nighttime, and he hoped that Anakin hadn't done anything stupid. But if he had...

 _Well_? asked Finn.

The youngling's cold, lifeless body popped into Obi-Wan's mind once again.

 _Change of plan_ , he said, _We need to evacuate all remaining Jedi at the temple._

 _And then what?_ asked Finn.

 _We wait for Darth Vader._

()()()()()

Anakin rushed into the chancellor's office, where he met with the shock of his life. Mace Windu stood over Sheev Palpatine, his amethyst lightsaber rebounding the Sith lightning coming from the old man's fingertips. Palpatine grew aged 40 year in front of Anakin's eyes, and the young Knight could do nothing but watch.

"Anakin, help me!" wheezed the chancellor, "I have the power to save the one you love! Don't let him kill me!"

"He's lying, Anakin!" said the Korun Master, struggling to hold on, "Don't listen to him!"

Anakin was torn. He didn't know what to do. Obi-Wan's words swam in his head, but then he remembered what hitting him with Yoda's chair. He was already down the dark path, so why not give in? Or he could rid the galaxy of evil! But that would mean losing his beloved. His heart battled with his brain, and he stood, frozen.

"I can't...I can't hold on any longer," struggled Palpatine. The lightning stopped.

Mace Windu raised his lightsaber.

"You can't kill him! It's not the Jedi way!" said Anakin finally finding words. He needed more time.

"He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" said Windu.

"No...don't," groaned Palpatine.

"He must live! I need him!" said Anakin.

Windu brought down his lightsaber.

"NO!" yelled Anakin.

Acting on instinct, he used the Force and pushed. Mace Windu fell out of the building, lightsaber still in his hand. Palpatine stood and cackled.

Anakin collapsed on his knees, as the reality of his actions caught up to him.

"What have I done?" he said.

"You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin. Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Force," said Palpatine.

His words coaxed out a part of Anakin that he had tried to bury for years, the part which massacred Tusken Raiders, the part which had attacked Obi-Wan. He tried to blast away the fog in his mind, but it clouded his vision, and his actions were no longer his anymore.

"I pledge myself to the teachings of the Sith," he said, before he even knew what he was doing, "Just help me save Padmé. I can't live without her."

"Together we shall rediscover the secret to cheat death!" said Palpatine, "You will become a powerful Sith as my apprentice, young Skywalker! Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth . . . Vader!"

()()()()()

Luke had almost finished bandaging Rey's shoulder when they ship rocked violently. His hand slipped, and Rey winced.

"Sorry," he said.

He ran up the stairs and looked out the window.

"What do you see?" asked Rey.

"Our Star Destroyers are here," answered Luke, "Unfortunately, so are theirs."

The ship rocked again.

"I say we get out of here before we end up like this guy," Rey said, gesturing to the decapitated body of Darth Voltrus.

"Agreed," said Luke.

As they rushed into the elevator, Luke commed R2.

"Hope you have a ship ready," he told the droid, "We're coming to the hangar."

R2 beeped indignantly.

"I take that means all is well?" said Rey.

"More or less," said Luke, "Honestly, I can't even tell sometimes with him."

Luke suddenly sensed danger.

"Get ready!" he yelled to Rey.

They ignited their lightsabers just as the elevator doors opened, and were greeted by enemy fire, which was easily deflected off their blades. Luke pushed away half a dozen enemy troopers with the Force, which gave Rey enough space to jump out add start slicing them down. The battle was done in a matter of seconds, but someone had managed to activate the alarm. The air filled with the sound of wailing sirens as the two Jedi broke into a run towards the hangar. The few troopers they encountered were taken by surprise, and defeated without a single thought.

Just as they were making the last turn, the ship shook more violently than the previous two times. Luke struggled to stay on his feet, and fell down. The shaking stopped, but the rumble of blaster bolts hitting the hull could still be felt. Luke stood and spotted R2 near the hangar doors.

"R2, go to the ship!"

R2 didn't obey, instead accessing a computer terminal. The hangar doors began to close.

"R2, wait!"

Luke had no idea about what had come over the droid. He broke into a run towards the closing doors.

"R2, what're you-"

The doors snapped shut, and immediately Luke was throw back by the force of a massive explosion coming from the hangar. Red spots covered his vision, and the wind was knocked out of him. He groaned and got up. He took only a few seconds to make sure that Rey was alright, then rushed to the hangar, fearing the worst.

"R2?" he called.

The doors had mostly survived the explosion, but were completely destroyed after Luke blew them open, revealing the hangar.

"R2, ANSWER ME!" he yelled as dashed inside. He froze. The entire hangar was decimated, and not a single ship remained unharmed. Small fires burned everywhere, and most of the walls were charred to a crisp. The bodies of the troopers defeated by Rey were burned beyond recognition, and Luke looked at the computer terminally. Inside the socket remained the last piece of R2-D2. Luke took it out and stared at it numbly, before he fell to his knees, letting a cry of pure anguish escape him mouth.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

 **So what did you think of my first lightsaber fight? I felt bad about leaving the cliffie last chapter (and now have 16 people following this story, yay!), so I updated The Manthom Penace in two days and this one in 48 hours as well! I have a long weekend, so expect some new stories (hint, hint) and hopefully an update to this one as well! Thanks for reading!**

Review responses:

 **Rosiethehobbit17** : Hope this chapter cured your insomnia! (although it probably caused even more!) Ani's always gonna do something stupid, he's a Skywalker, isn't he? Yes, it is my first fanfiction, but I've been writing stories since I could hold a pencil, so I guess that's why this fic is passable. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Nataly SkyPot** : Thanks for the support since day one! It means a lot to have someone review every single chapter within a day of being posted.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, it's been a while, but this chapter is finally up. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! Happy reading!**

Luke felt as if he was in a dream as he held at the last remaining piece of his loyal friend in his hand. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. His senses told him otherwise. The tears formed behind his eyes, but wouldn't come out. He barely registered Rey's comforting hand on his shoulder and her pleas telling him that they needed to get off the ship. His body unconsciously complied and followed Rey down the corridors and into an escape pod. Explosions hammered the ship as they detached and shot into space, but Luke did not care. Only the sadness that crushed his soul existed. He opened his hand and realized that he was still holding the only existing piece of R2-D2. A new wave of emotions threatened to overcome him, but then he detected another's sorrow, someone familiar...

 _Father_ , he said into the Force.

 _Luke_ , replied Anakin Skywalker.

His voice was tinted with anguish, much like Luke's own.

 _He's gone_ , said Luke, _He died saving me_.

 _I know_ , replied Anakin, _He would do anything for his friends, to the best of his ability_.

 _It's my fault. I left him there._

 _No, it's not. Don't blame yourself._

 _He was the most loyal friend I ever had. And that loyalty was his doom._

 _He's not doomed yet. Obi-Wan will make things right._

 _For all our sakes, I hope he does._

There was silence, and Luke said nothing. He was grateful for his father's comforting presence, something he never had as a child. He stared out the window of the escape pod. The ship which they had just left was heavily damaged, and began to crack apart in front of his very eyes. They had gotten out in the nick of time. Luke turned and saw that the pod was heading for one of their own Star Destroyers. They would arrive soon.

 _You know how I met R2?_ asked Anakin.

 _No_.

 _He was a maintenance droid on one of your mother's ships. She was the queen of Naboo that time, and their ship was under attack as they tried to escape a blockade by the Trade Federation. Their shields were destroyed, and only R2 was left. He managed to get them back online, and they escaped and landed on Tatooine, where I was a slave. Qui-Gon freed me, and the rest is history. Without R2, I never would've left. I owe it all to him._

Luke had spent many hours talking with his father about the past, but he had never heard this story.

 _How did you get R2?_ asked Luke.

 _He was a gift from your mother. She had no use for him, and I had no use for 3PO, so we traded._

Luke was silent. He had always wanted to meet his mother, but never got the chance.

 _Have you seen her?_ asked Luke, _In the Force, I mean._

 _The Force is a mysterious thing_ , said Anakin, _The afterlife is a large and complex place. But to answer your question, yes, I do see her. Every day in fact. She watches over you, remember that. We're so proud of both of you._

Luke paused.

 _Droids don't get an afterlife, do they?_

 _No. But now is not the time to dwell on the past. R2 would want you to do your duty. Do something I could never do and let it go._

Luke realized that his father was right. He put the pain into the back of his mind and mustered up his courage.

 _I will_ , he said, _May the Force be with you, father._

 _May the Force be with you too, son._

Luke turned to Rey, who was piloting the escape pod.

"Rey?" he said.

Rey seemed surprised and turned.

"Yes, Master Luke?" she asked.

"Tell them to get a ship ready for me."

Rey nodded. Luke looked outside.

One down, four to go, he thought.

()()()()()

Darth Vader marched to the Jedi Temple, the thunderous sound of thousands of clones at his back. He climbed the stairs and strode in, lightsaber ignited. The blast door snapped shut behind him. He turned in surprise. Blaster bolts peppered the doors, but they didn't even make a dent. The clones would be a while. He turned around, ready to fulfill his mission and save his beloved. Instead of hundreds of Jedi, he saw only one.

"Obi-Wan," he said, "Where are the rest of the Jedi?"

"Anakin," replied his former master, "You don't want to do this. The Dark Side is not the way. It never was."

"I am not Anakin Skywalker anymore! He is dead, I killed him! I am Darth Vader!" The words came from the darkest part of his soul, a part which had increased in size since the incident at the Chancellor's office.

"Do you really believe that, Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan, "I can sense your fear, your confusion. Padmé does not need Darth Vader, she needs the man she loves. She needs Anakin Skywalker."

Inner conflict enveloped him once again. Anakin Skywalker fought Darth Vader for the control of the body and mind. Vader's words were his fantasies, his dreams of what he wanted his life to be. Anakin's words were harsher, colder, truer. Vader won.

"I'm going to ask you again, Obi-Wan. Where are the Jedi?"

"They're not here. You don't want to kill them, Anakin, and I'm not going to fight you."

"You leave me no choice," said Vader.

He charged, and the blue blades lit up the dark halls of the Jedi Temple.

()()()()()

Kriff.

That was the first word to come to the mind of Han Solo as he saw four enemy Super Star Destroyers come out of hyperspace.

"We got a problem!" he said to the other leaders.

Just then, five of their own Star Destroyers join the fight as well.

"We got it covered, General Solo," came the voice of Admiral Ackbar.

Han grinned. He turned to the half invisible Star Destroyer that Luke had foolishly gone alone into, which was now breaking apart. He hoped that his friend was alright.

"Come on, kid," he said.

He saw an escape pod ejecting the ship just before it was blown to smithereens. Relief flooded into him.

"Titan One, could you be so kind as to take that pod in with your tractor beam?" he asked Ackbar.

"Will do, Gold leader."

Han rejoined the battle. Chewbacca manned the gun, blasting down enemy ships as if they were womp rats. Out of one of the Super Star Destroyers, he saw a modified enemy interceptor take off. The panicked cries of the Jedi pilots filled his ears.

"It's a Sith!"

The Sith's ship blasted the Republic fighters with astounding accuracy while maneuvering with absolute control at speeds most pilots wouldn't even think to go at. The battle was soon turned int the enemy's favor. The Sith focused on only ships in the Gold Squadron, as if goading the _Falcon_ into a fight. Han's expression hardened and Chewbacca let out a roar.

"You're right, Chewie," said Han, "If it's a fight he wants, a fight he's gonna get."

The _Millenium Falcon_ broke off from formation and engaged the interceptor.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan Kenobi hadn't been alive for years, much less been in a lightsaber duel, but he was holding up just fine against his former apprentice. The strength and skill of Finn flowed into him, and he was not that bad of a duelist himself, just terribly out of practice. As the fight raged on, he gained confidence and he began to attack, not defend. Finn reminded him that he was not sent to the past to fight his apprentice again. He force pushed Vader into the wall, and lowered his lightsaber.

"Anakin, Palpatine is lying. He wants the Jedi dead. Why else would he send you here?"

Vader jumped up and their lightsabers clashed again. Vader managed to lock their sabers together.

"I have to get more in touch with the Dark Side to save her," said the Sith, pushing Obi-Wan to the ground, "Don't you see? I have to kill!"

He swung downwards, but Obi-Wan rolled out of the way and the saber hit the ground, sending up sparks. The Jedi kicked Vaders leg, causing him to fall as well. Obi-Wan stood.

"And you would kill younglings just to save your own child and wife? How would she ever look at you again if she knew?" said Obi-Wan.

Vader didn't answer and jumped up and attacked again. While he was fighting, Obi-Wan realized that this was not the same Vader he fought on Mustafar all those years ago. This one was full of fear and desperation, while the other was full of hate. Vader's swings were weaker than the duel on Mustafar, where his wild slashes had been fueled by loathing and anger. And suddenly, Obi-Wan realized that Anakin Skywalker could be saved. All he had to do was say the right things...

"Anakin, listen!"

Anakin did not stop, but that was fine with Obi-Wan. Using Finn's agility, he backflipped, kicked the lightsaber out of Anakin's hand, and caught it while making a graceful landing. Anakin had a defeated look on his face, and the desperation inside him increased tremendously. Desperate men do desperate things...

To Anakin's surprise, Obi-Wan tossed him both lightsabers.

"Now that I proved that I'm not here to kill you, will you just listen?"

Anakin said nothing and activated both lightsabers. Obi-Wan wasn't fazed at all.

"Anakin, Sidious will never help you save Padmé, even if he has the power."

"What makes you think that," growled Anakin, coming closer.

"She's a danger to his Empire. As long as she lives, she will fight against him. What do you think he'll do to the Senators who reject him? He'll kill them as soon as he has a good excuse."

"He won't. I'll kill him if he does that."

Anakin walked even closer.

"Not your child kills you first."

Anakin stopped.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Obi-Wan grinned on the inside.

"Do you really think the child will be yours? Palpatine will claim it as soon as it is born. He will raise it as a Sith. Did you ever think about that? Your family will never be safe as long as he lives."

Anakin paused.

"I plan to kill him and take the position of emperor. My family will rule the galaxy."

"And have you discussed this with your wife? She is a believer in democracy, not dictatorship. Plus, you will not be able to kill him. His powers are far beyond yours at the moment."

Anakin stood next to Obi-Wan, lightsabers humming. Obi-Wan saw the conflict in his eyes.

"Let me help. You are not a Sith, Anakin, you never were."

Anakin raised the lightsabers, ready to strike down his master, his friend, ...his brother.

He couldn't do it. The lightsabers clattered to the floor, deactivated. Anakin collapsed, sobbing.

"What have I done, Obi-Wan?"

From that moment on, Obi-Wan knew that Darth Vader was gone. Only Anakin Skywalker remained. He reached over to comfort his former padawan.

"You did what you thought you had to do," said Obi-Wan.

"How can you look at me? I was about to kill younglings! I was about to kill people I have known for years without a second thought! How could I have been so weak? You are right, Obi-Wan. Padmé would think I am a monster. I still am."

"No, Anakin Skywalker, you are no monster. You just love too much for your own good."

Anakin looked up.

"Swear to me, Obi-Wan, swear that she will not die. I can't live without her."

Obi-Wan looked at the tear streaked blue eyes, the eyes of a man who went through hell and back for the woman he loved.

"I swear."

()()()()()()

As Luke strapped into his new X-Wing, he felt a disturbance in the Force. The future had been changed, but not enough to change the current present. He needed to give Obi-Wan more time. He took off into the battle once again, Rey flying next to him. The absence of R2 made the ship feel incomplete, as if a part of it was missing. He willed himself not to think about his droid and focused on the battle.

"What next, Master?" asked Rey.

Luke suddenly spotted the _Millennium Falcon_ in a dogfight against a strange ship, which emanated the Dark Side.

"Over there! That's a Sith!" said Luke.

The Sith fighter blasted missiles at Han's ship, but Luke quickly shot them down. Han took the advantage, and pulled off a very tight 180 degree turn. Chewbacca fired and the Sith was blown into oblivion along with his fighter.

"Thanks for the assist, kid," said Han, "But that still counts as mine."

"No problem," said Luke.

Luke continued to fly, gunning down enemy ships with expert precision, but the numbers of the Republic pilots were dwindling. He had to find Barius, and fast. He reached out with the Force, and sensed the greatest amount of darkness coming from a Star Destroyer on the side. Barius was undoubtedly on that ship.

"Rey, tell the other Jedi to start boarding those two Star Destroyers and destroying the Sith on them," said Luke.

"What about that one?" asked Rey.

"That one has Barius. If you don't want to come with me, I understand."

"Please, you need someone to look out for you."

Luke grinned, possibly for the last time. He veered his ship to the side, and went to meet his destiny.

 **This chapter is late because a) I'm a procrastinator b) I've been sick c) Writer's block and d) I've been reading more fanfiction than I've been writing. For now, I'm putting the Manthom Penace on hold because of no inspiration whatsoever, and now I have around 21 followers on this story, so I don't want to be late updating anymore. Thanks for reading!**

Review Responses:

 **Rosiethehobbit17** : Thanks for reviewing again! Don't worry, I'm going to have a happy ending, so hold the grief for Artoo.

 **Nataly SkyPot** : Yes, the duel was definitely inspired by the one in episode one, but it does have some differences. Thanks for reviewing, yet again!


	8. Chapter 8

**Ummmmmmm...hi. Before you kill me, I have my reasons for taking so long to post. They're on the bottom, so for now, enjoy!**

The doors pounded with blaster fire as Obi-Wan managed to coax Anakin up with some difficulty. He seemed to be drained emotionally, and took his former master's support as they raced quickly through the temple.

"Where are we going?" asked Anakin hoarsely.

"Home," said Obi-Wan.

"Without making sure the other Jedi are okay? Palpatine has probably executed Order 66 by now, and if he hasn't, he will soon. We have to stop him."

"Don't worry about them. Before you came, I sent a message to all of them about the clones. I told them to escape to a remote planet and meet up will all the Jedi I evacuated from the temple. Most of them have probably received the message. As for Palpatine, we will confront him as soon as Master Yoda arrives on Coruscant. For now, you rest."

Anakin nodded numbly. Obi-Wan led him to the hangar and the two climbed into a speeder.

"Obi-Wan," said Anakin, "If you hadn't done what you did, there's not telling what I would've done. Thank you for not giving up on me and preventing me from the making the worst mistake of my life."

Obi-Wan smiled as he started the speeder.

"What are friends for?" he said.

The speeder flew out of the hangar. Obi-Wan flew it over the top of the temple, where he saw that the clones had finally broken in. Smoke snaked from the walls as a thousands of years of history were destroyed in front of their very eyes. Obi-Wan felt a pang of regret at not being able to save his home a second time, but felt better when he remembered he had saved someone more important.

"I'd love to see the look on the commander's face when he finds out that there's no one inside," said Anakin.

Obi-Wan laughed. It was good to see Anakin returning to his former self, even for a second. The speeder turned and flew away.

"I just wish I had realized sooner that Palpatine was manipulating me," said Anakin, his voice full of regret, "Maybe the temple would've survived."

"Temples can be rebuilt," said Obi-Wan, "I honestly think that it's better this way. It's a new start for the Jedi Order, a chance to learn from our mistakes. We were blind to Palpatine's actions, but now we have an opportunity to rebuild and make ourselves better than before. If he had chosen someone else as his apprentice, fate may have not been so kind to the Order."

Anakin was silent as he thought over Obi-Wan's words.

"I killed Master Windu," said Anakin softly, "I wish I hadn't."

"You had to choose, didn't you?"

Anakin nodded.

"Master Windu was about to strike down Palpatine. Without thinking, I Force pushed him out the window."

"Sounds like a reflex action to me," said Obi-Wan, "Besides, I'm not sure you killed him. The office is what, 50, 60 stories up? He could've found a way to land safely. I know we have."

The weight seemed to be lifted off of Anakin's shoulders.

"I never thought of that."

He grinned.

"I guess I'm becoming narrow minded in my old age, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but crack a smile. The two arrived at the landing platform of 500 Republica in high spirits. Anakin jumped out before the speeder even touched the ground. He rushed inside, anxious to meet his wife. Obi-Wan followed him into the apartment.

"Padmé!" called Anakin, "Where are you, Angel?"

Anakin walked into the bedroom, but sensed something was wrong and ducked. Sparks flew just where his head had been. He rolled backwards and a lightsaber swung downwards at him. He Force pushed his attacker into the living room, and the assailant fell behind a sofa and was removed from Anakin's vision.

"Where's my wife?" Anakin growled, igniting his lightsaber.

The figure stood up. He held an amethyst blade.

"Away from you, Sith," said Mace Windu, "No more shall die by your hand. Prepare to be destroyed!"

()()()()()

Luke and Rey landed in the Star Destroyer's hangar bay with no problems at all as it was completely empty, not a single ship or soul in sight. Luke got out and surveyed the area, sensing that something was wrong.

"This place is quiet...too quiet," said Luke.

"Yeah, you would think that we'd get at least a small welcome party," said Rey.

"Who says there isn't a welcome party?" asked a voice hidden in the shadows.

Luke and Rey whirled around, lightsabers ignited. A red blade shot up out of the darkness, and the owner walked into the light. His face was a deathly white, with a black scar running from his temple to his jaw, which only added to the menace of his curving malicious smile. He was well built underneath his flowing black cloak and emanated an aura of raw, dark power that seemed to pull the light away from him.

"Darth Barius," said Luke, "Your reign of terror is at an end."

Barius's grin simply widened.

"I don't think so, Jedi," he said, poison flowing into each word, "You're weak. I don't know what your father saw in you. It was always me who was his greatest apprentice. I am more powerful than any Jedi or Sith who has ever lived!"

"You seem awfully sure of your abilities," said Rey, "Just like your apprentice was. I think you know what happened to him."

"Foolish girl! Voltrus was no more than an arrogant imbecile whose only purpose was to keep you distracted. I never expected him to live, much less pose a challenge to you. However, you will find me to be a formidable opponent."

"Let's hope so," said Luke.

Luke and Rey approach the Sith slowly, circling around him. Barius didn't seem fazed, in fact he just grinned.

"You didn't count on something, Skywalker."

"And what's that?"

Another red blade sizzled from the darkness. The figure holding it stepped out. He wore gloves and a silver mask in addition to his jet black robes, so that no part of his skin showed. He was slightly shorter than his Barius, but was just as well-built as the other Sith.

"You actually believed that there was a Sith on every ship? My, my, you're even more foolish than I thought," said Barius.

"That's funny. You left an entire Star Destroyer under the command of your incompetent underlings. It's probably been blown halfway to Corellia by now," said Rey.

"It will be blown away," said Barius, his smile becoming wider by the second, "In fact, I'm counting on it."

He pulled a silver cylinder from his cloak. Luke and Rey paled when they realized what it was.

"Ah, so you know what this is!" said Barius.

"You don't want to do that," said Rey weakly.

"I actually do. They fireworks will be tremendous!"

Luke and Rey rushed at the Sith Lord, but were thrown back by a force push from his apprentice. Barius pressed the button at the top of the cylinder as the two Jedi watched helplessly. Out the hangar's entrance, they could see an inferno which consumed everything and spared nothing. And Luke knew, even though he tried to deny it, that everything was lost.

()()()()()

Han knew something was up when all of the enemy Star Destroyers, except for one, started retreating.

"They're falling back! We're doing it!" said Poe.

"Finish that one off," ordered Admiral Ackbar.

Han reasoned that he was being paranoid and went to engage the lone Star Destroyer.

 _After all_ , he thought, It's outnumbered. _What's the worst that could happen?_

The Republic's Star Destroyers approached the enemy one and began firing at it mercilessly. The Star Destroyer tried to retaliate, but the firepower it was up against was too much. It began to crumble apart. For a second, hope filled Han.

Then he saw the flames. The fire rushed towards him, and Han knew he was doomed.

"I love you Leia," he said, "And you too Jacen. Be strong."

The blaze reached the _Millenium Falco_ n and the legendary ship, along with its extraordinary pilots, exploded.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan ran into the apartment, lightsaber ignited. What he saw baffled him. Mace Windu was swinging his violet blade down at Anakin, who didn't even try to resist. Obi-Wan pushed away Windu at the last possible moment, just before Anakin was about to be sliced into two.

"Kenobi, what the kriff do you think you're doing?" asked Windu.

"Master Windu, don't kill Anakin. He's not what you think he is," pleaded Obi-Wan.

"Don't believe the lies he told you, Obi-Wan. He's probably killed everyone in the temple by now."

"He has not. I was there to prevent him from doing that."

Windu's expression didn't change.

"And do you expect me to believe that? That he just turned back to the light? He pushed me out of the chancellor's window!"

"See for yourself. There is no trace of darkness in him. Besides, he didn't try and defend himself when you attacked him. Isn't that enough proof?"

Windu observed Anakin for several moments, then switched off his lightsaber.

"I believe I owe you an apology, Skywalker."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Anakin's lips.

"No, I owe you the apology," he said, "I mean, I did push you off a building."

"How did you survive that, by the way?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I grabbed a ledge, smashed a window, and jumped inside. It's not like I was dismembered, Kenobi."

Anakin's expression became serious.

"Where's Padmé?" he asked.

"She's next door," replied Windu.

Anakin brushed the other Jedi aside and ran to the other apartment. He burst in and saw Padmé crying on the balcony. She looked up when she saw him, and backed away.

"Stay away!" she sobbed, "How could you do this to me? To us?"

Anakin realized that Windu had almost definitely shared his suspicious with his wife.

"No, no, no, it's not like that, Angel. I was going to, but then Obi-Wan stopped me. He prevented me from making the biggest mistake of my life."

"Liar! You've probably killed poor Obi-Wan and Mace Windu and younglings and..."

She broke out into a fresh set of tears. Her words stung Anakin and crushed his heart, but he knew he probably deserved it. What kind of a Jedi even _thought_ about the atrocities he was going to commit?

"Padmé, please believe me, my love."

"If you truly love me, then go away. Go away and never come back."

"You don't mean that Padmé," said a voice.

Anakin turned and saw Obi-Wan and Mace Windu standing at the door. He breathed a sigh of relief. Padmé stopped crying and her expression turned to one of shock. She rushed over to Anakin and hugged him tightly, surprising him. Anakin recovered and hugged her back. It was good to be in her arms again.

"Ani, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice full of remorse, "Master Windu came to my apartment and told me these terrible things, but I didn't believe him. And then I saw the temple and I..."

Her voice trailed off and she began sobbing again. Anakin sighed. Hormones did do some crazy things to a person.

"It's okay," he comforted her, "I'm here now."

Padmé looked at him with her dark chocolate-brown eyes shining with tears.

"Forgive me?"

"Always."

()()()()()

Leia felt a tremor through the Force. She reached out to her brother, and felt that he was in agony. Terrible, terrible agony, pain that could not be described. His sufferering caused her to collapse. She sensed something else...a voice.

 _I love you Leia, and you too, Jacen. Be strong_.

And then it felt like a part of her was destroyed. She knew what had happened. She knew what happened to her beloved Han. She would never see his annoying smirk again, or call him a scoundrel again. Ever.

She turned and looked at her son, who was in the same position as her. He confirmed her worst fears. She didn't even realize that tears started to fall. All that matter was her husband. And he was gone.

 **Yeah, so anyway, I haven't had much free time because of school, so I'll try to post the next one quicker, but please don't get mad if I don't. I feel so bad about leaving all of you guys hanging, but I don't have time to write more than a snippet of a chapter at a time. Please bear with me. Thanks for all the support, and thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

***Steps out slowly, looking for blaster fire* Okay, okay I am so sorry for not posting for so long, but explanations at the bottom. For now, read the next chapter in the epic story!**

Barius's triumphant cackles echoed through the empty hangar, reverberating off of the chrome walls. Luke was on the floor, head bowed, while Rey balanced on one knee, hand on her chest.

"At last! The Galaxy shall be mine!" yelled Barius.

Luke looked up slightly.

"You killed them," he said softly, "You killed them all."

His eyes burned with the fury of a thousand suns, a hint of yellow in his otherwise startling blue eyes. Rey noticed, but did not care. She was in far too much pain, far too much anger at what she had just witnessed. Barius looked at Luke and saw the barely contained beast inside him.

"Yes, yes I did," he said, goading the Jedi Master, "Just like I killed your little droid. I wonder what your sister and your nephew are feeling right now. I'm sure their pain at the death of Captain Solo is delightful."

Luke stood up. The rage emanating from him would make a normal person cower in fear and beg for their lives, but Barius seemed to enjoy it.

"Don't say anything else if you want to keep your head," said Luke.

Barius grinned.

"That's what I'll say to Leia before I decapitate her."

That was the last straw. Luke snapped and charged the Sith, activating his lightsaber. Rey did the same and rushed towards the apprentice. Barius activated hidden crossguards in his lightsaber and raised his blade to deflect Luke's. Their sabers clashed, lighting up the hangar bay with a brilliant spark of yellow. Luke attacked ferociously, his green blade whirring like a cyclone. Somehow, Barius deflected all of his beastly strokes, catching a rather close one on his crossguard. Barius twisted his lightsaber onto Luke's and pushed him back with brute strength.

"Your anger gives you-"

He was cut off by a renewed round of offensive parries from Luke. Meanwhile, Rey had her hands full with the yet unnamed Sith. He was more skilled and agile than Voltrus, with plenty of finesse to boot. However, he wasn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve. Rey subtly allowed herself to be backed into a corner and went on the defensive. The Sith raised his lightsaber for the killing stroke, but was hit in the head by a crate that Rey threw at him with the Force. The Sith stumbled and Rey Force-kicked him in the chest, causing him to fly across the hanger and crumple against the wall. His lightsaber clattered on the floor next to where Luke and Barius were fighting.

Barius used the Force to pick up the fallen saber and went on the offensive against Luke, who quickly readjusted his fighting style. Rey knew that Barius would easily overpower her master if he used two blades, and so decided to help him out instead of finishing off the apprentice. Barius pushed Luke back and was about to strike him down when Rey's blue blade parried the would-be finishing slash.

"Brave of you, girl, but foolish," said Barius.

"You'll find that I'm very stubborn," said Rey.

Rey fended off the Sith Lord while Luke jumped to his feet and rejoined the fight. The two slowly

pushed Barius back and gained the advantage.

"Impressive, but you'll soon end up dead like your friends," taunted the Sith.

"Not a chance," said Rey.

"Actually, there is one,"

Barius threw one of his lightsabers up in the air, over the two Jedi. It was caught by his apprentice, who had recovered. Rey cursed and broke away. Soon, the duel was continuing in the same way it had begun.

"I will enjoy killing everyone on Coruscant," said Barius, "This time, I'll get to see their expressions as they die. I wonder how Leia and Jacen will look in their final moments?"

Luke attacked more ferociously but did not give the Sith the pleasure of seeing his reaction.

"Or maybe I'll leave both of them alive. I'll throw Leia into a prison cell and train young Solo in the Dark Arts before making him kill her. It'll be delightful!"

Luke couldn't take anymore. No one threatened his family. He summoned the power his anger to destroy the Sith once and for all. His eyes started to gleam yellow and the world around him exploded in darkness.

()()()()()

Obi-Wan had to literally pull Anakin off of Padmé to tell him that Master Yoda and Bail Organa had arrived. Anakin reluctantly let go, but his hand never left his wife's. They met on the the platform, and then went inside. Bail looked questioningly at Padmé and Anakin's intertwined hands, but did not press further.

"Sensed a new dark presence, I did," said Yoda.

"That was me, Master," Anakin said, his eyes not meeting Yoda's.

"But came back to the light, you did. First of the Jedi you are, to do so."

"My actions can not be excused. I was going to do some terrible things."

"Prevented that, Obi-Wan did. Safe, is the Jedi Order."

"Where are the Jedi now?" asked Bail.

"On Dagobah," replied Obi-Wan, "I told them to stay there and await further instructions."

"How many died?" asked Anakin softly.

Yoda's ears drooped.

"Felt several Jedi transform into the Force, did I. But your fault it was not, young Skywalker."

Anakin's face fell.

"It's all my fault," he whispered.

"For the last time, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, "You are not to blame. Palpatine preyed on your biggest insecurities and tried to use them against you. If it is anyone's fault, it is the Jedi Council's. We have been blind to the chancellor's plan, and our blindness has cost us."

Yoda nodded in agreement.

"Speaks the truth, Obi-Wan does," said the Jedi Grand Master.

Bail's comlink suddenly went off.

"Excuse me," he said, and went out onto the landing pad.

"Do you have news?" asked Windu when the senator from Alderaan returned.

Bail looked at Padmé.

"We've been called for an emergency session of the Senate," he said gravely.

"I don't get it. Why would he do such a thing?" asked Anakin.

"To claim emergency powers," said Padmé, "He plans to condemn the Jedi and form an Empire."

Silence filled the room.

"He must be stopped," said Obi-Wan.

"Go, I will," said Yoda.

"He is too powerful for you to go alone," said Windu, "Do not underestimate him. I will go with you as well."

"As will I," said Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin.

"No one is forcing you to join us. I understand if you want to stay."

Anakin sighed.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

"The Chosen One, you are," said Yoda, "Believe Qui-Gon at first, I did not. But now, no doubt in my mind, there is."

"But can I really do it? What if the prophecy was wrong?"

Padmé put a hand on his shoulder.

"What does your heart tell you?" she asked.

Anakin went back to the time his mother had told him the exact same words. Memories flooded his mind, images of a warm smile and a soothing voice. Then he looked at his wife, carrying his unborn child and strength flooded through him, power which he felt when he was Darth Vader, and he was scared for a second that he was a monster, but he realized that this feeling inside of him wasn't due to anger and fear, but because of love. He finally understood his purpose. He was a husband, a father, and a son. He was Anakin Skywalker. He was the Chosen One.

"I'm in," he said.

"You forgot one thing," said Bail, "You must stop him during or before his speech, or the Republic dies."

"Oppose him you must," said Yoda, "Influential, you and Senator Amidala are. Oppose Palpatine in front of the Senate, and join your cause, other systems will."

"He'll kill them!" said Anakin.

"Not if we get to him first," said Obi-Wan, "While Bail and Padmé are causing chaos in the Senate, we can sneak up on Palpatine and reveal the truth to the galaxy."

"Not a good idea. Keeping Palpatine hostage puts them at risk. Besides, he is a powerful Sith. He'll see us coming a parsec away!"

Windu nodded.

"I agree with Skywalker," he said, "Instead, why don't you two senators announce the truth. This way, we can keep an eye on things."

There was a murmur of agreement from the entire room.

"It's settled, then," said Anakin, "Now let's go save the galaxy."

()()()()()

The darkness swirled around Luke Skywalker like a miniature hurricane as he slashed at the Dark Lord of the Sith with his emerald blade. Barius was no match for the sudden burst of anger, and soon found himself on the floor, disarmed and staring into cold, yellow eyes. For once, Barius was speechless. Luke's rage was like the fury of a thousand suns, powerful and unwavering. He raised his lightsaber to finish off his enemy.

 _NO LUKE_! yelled the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn.

Luke ignored him and proceeded to swing his saber downwards.

 _DON'T BECOME YOUR FATHER!_

At the last second, Luke moved his hand, singeing a part of Barius's cloak.

 _Obi-Wan is close_ , said a much calmer Qui-Gon, _It will not be long now_.

Luke's anger dissipated and was replaced by disgust as he realized how close he was to turning into something monstrous. He lowered his lightsaber and looked across the hangar, where Barius's apprentice had surrendered to Rey.

"Nice to see your eyes blue again," said Rey.

Luke turned to Barius.

"It's over. Call off your fleet," he told the Sith.

Barius sneered.

"I don't think so, Jedi!"

He summoned a hidden lightsaber from his cloak and tried to stab Luke with it. Luke tried to move out of the way, but the blade caught him in the side of his abdomen. He cried out in pain and collapsed. Barius stood up.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, Skywalker. You're a weak fool."

"Step away from him!" yelled Rey, "Or your apprentice dies!"

She had her lightsaber activated and on the unnamed Sith's throat.

"Kill him. He's failed me, anyway," said Barius.

"I'm not bluffing," said Rey.

"Neither am I."

Barius stepped on Luke's hand, which was trying to summon his lightsaber. Luke stifled a cry, but screamed in agony when Barius shoved his red blade into his thigh.

"Touch him again and I kill you!" said Rey

"I'd like to see you try."

Barius raised his lightsaber again, and Rey made a choice. She slit her hostage's throat and Force-pushed away Barius.

"You've made a bad mistake, girl," snarled Barius.

Rey attacked. The lightsabers clashed through the empty hangar once again, but this time it was ended abruptly. Barius pushed away Rey's sapphire blade with his own and fired Sith lightning onto her. Rey dropped her lightsaber, and Barius sliced off her hand in one fluid motion. The Sith threw her into the wall like a rag doll and she was out cold instantly. Barius deactivated his saber and walked over to Luke, who was clutching his side and leg. The Jedi managed to turn, but was kicked in his side by the Sith.

"I do not fear death as you do," said Luke, struggling to get the words out over his pain.

"No, but I know what you do fear," said Barius, "I'm going to make you suffer, take away everything and everyone you hold dear. You will know the meaning of true pain, Luke Skywalker. Only once you feel this agony will you have my permission to die."

"No," said Luke weakly, "Leave them alone."

"You're the one whose going to be alone, Skywalker."

Barius smashed Luke's head against the floor, and the blond hair became wet with blood as the Skywalker was thrown into unconsciousness.

 **This took a while to write, as I've been reaaaalllyy busy. I haven't got much writing time, and I'll admit I had a little of the dreaded W.B. I only got one review for the last chapter (Thanks for that Nataly SkyPot, kudos to you!) so I was kind of hesitant to jump in and write this one. Anyway, enough excuses, thanks for reading as always, and remember to drop a review. I'll see you soon (I hope).**

 **-AnotherStoryFan**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, I'm back. We pick up where we last left off and I thought I'd leave a warning before anyone gets upset. This chapter contains some death and torture that is essential to the story, so if you don't want to read then don't. Just saying.**

The senators were all gathered, whispering quietly, when Palpatine rose above from his office in the center pod. Audible gasps could be heard as the politicians caught glimpses at his scarred face. Padmé shifted uncomfortably in her pod, scared at what she was about to do. She couldn't help but think that something very wrong was about to happen.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Bail, who was sitting next to her.

Apparently she wasn't the only one. She tried to stop thinking about her own uneasiness and turned to the center of the hall, where Palpatine was starting his speech.

"My dear senators, I am sure that you have a lot of questions," he said, "Hopefully this speech gives you answers. Let me start by telling you that the Jedi are traitors to the Republic."

The collective astonishment of the senators echoed through the halls. Palpatine raised his hand to silence them and continued as soon as the murmurs died down.

"The Jedi tried to assassinate me earlier today, but were unsuccessful. The clones have been commanded to kill any on sight. For now, the rebellion has been foiled."

"That's our cue," said Bail.

Padmé only nodded and pressed a button on her pod which pushed the ring close to the center. Palpatine looked with surprise at her, but regained his composure quickly.

"Do you have anything to say, Senator Amidala?" he asked, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Padmé felt thousands of eyes trained on her, but managed to open her mouth and speak.

"Senators of the Republic, you have all been misled!" she said, her voice echoing throughout the chamber.

"And what do you mean by that, Senator?" asked Palpatine.

"That Jedi didn't rebel," she said, "And that you are the Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious."

The Senate exploded with panic, only to be quieted by Mas Amedda.

"Order!" said the vice-chair, banging his hammer.

The Senate barely calmed down, but after a few more shouts from Amedda, most of it fell into silence.

"Senator Amidala, that is a very serious accusation. Do you have any proof to back it up?" snarled Palpatine.

"We do," said Bail, "It's standing right in front of our faces. Your grasp for emergency powers, extending the Clone Wars, framing the Jedi, that is all we need. You have been trying to strip liberty from this galaxy, and you will do so today by declaring yourself emperor."

Palpatine's eyes seemed to turn yellow.

"More of your slander does not count as evidence, Senator Organa! Guards, arrest them!"

Padmé saw the red robed figures approach the entrance to the pod and realized that she didn't have much time. She turned to the Senate.

"This just proves our point!" she declared, "Why would the Jedi betray the Republic? They fought for three long years just to preserve freedom for us! We've been happy to let them die for us until now."

A few senators voice their agreement. The guards were now trying to call back the pod to the dock.

"Senator Amidala is right!" Mon Mothma spoke up, "Palpatine is trying to take power for himself! I submit a vote of no-confidence!"

The Senate rumbled in agreement. Palpatine's mouth contorted into a scowl.

"SILENCE!" he roared, "YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE!"

The sound of a blaster rifle firing rang out throughout the hall and a beam of read energy hit Mothma in the heart. She collapsed on the floor of her pod, dead. For the second time, the Senate erupted into chaos, and this time the senators jumped out of their pods and ran to the exits in a mad dash to safety. More shots rang out and Bail pulled Padmé to the floor of the pod just as a blaster bolt whizzed past where she was standing a moment before.

Padmé looked up and saw two dozen clone troopers firing into the crowd of senators and killing without mercy. Bail took out his blaster and tried to return fire without hitting anyone innocent. Padmé looked towards the center and saw that Palpatine was retreating into his office.

 _You aren't getting away that easy,_ she thought and took out her own blaster. She aimed carefully and hit the elevator's power supply. Palpatine looked up at her with a look of pure hate, but Padmé had other problems. Her pod was coming closer to the dock and the waiting Red Guard soldiers, who had their Force Pikes aimed at them. This time, she was the one who pulled down Bail before an energy burst rocked the side of the craft.

"One more shot and this thing will break," whispered Bail, "Our only chance is to try and take them out."

"On three then," said Padmé, getting ready to stand up.

She didn't even have to count to one when she heard the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber and heard two thumping sounds. She stood up and saw her husband standing over the neatly cleaved bodies of Palpatine's minions.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"Sorry, Angel, but we were trying to get your colleagues out safely," said Anakin, "Go and get to the speeder. The clones are taken of so you won't have much trouble getting there."

Padmé hugged him quickly and then led Bail outside. She turned back to steal one last glance at her husband, but he was already gone, no doubt to challenge Palpatine.

 _Be careful, Ani,_ she thought, before climbing into the elevator to the hangar.

()()()()()

To call the room a cell was an understatement. It was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the glow of the nearby thruster and the floor was barely visible through the bloodstains splattered all over it. The stench of rotting flesh diffused from the bits and pieces of severed limbs and appendages cramped in a corner while mixing with the scent of urine and feces. The generator whirred mechanically and produced a shrieking sound that would make a ghoul rip its ears off. Blistering heat hotter than a desert wind poured for fifteen minutes, and then was gone and replaced by chilling glacier air just as quickly. The room was a hell in hell, and currently was hosting only one unfortunate occupant by the name of Luke Skywalker.

Luke was chained to the ceiling by his arms, high enough to leave his legs dangling, but not low enough to use the chains as a weapon, which was out of the question anyway since he was battered to the point of exhaustion. He could barely keep his eyes open because of the swelling and blood covering his face, while his multiple cuts and bruises stung like someone had poured acid into his body. He tried to sleep, but his body did not comply. The pain cut into him, letting him feel or think of nothing else. He tried to sedate himself with the Force, but he couldn't control it properly and just healed himself a little more, only making his wounds ache with the effort

He groaned and tried to seek out Rey's Force signature and find something, anything to soothe himself, but only found more agony, not that he expected anything else. He could hear her screams between the incessant whirring of the generator and couldn't decide what was worse: hearing her in pain or that listening to that damn machine. Either way, he'd never wanted to become deaf in his life more than now. He felt Rey's signature flutter, meaning she had passed out from the torture again. _Poor girl,_ he thought. She'd already lost a hand, and Luke knew perfectly well how that felt. On top of that, she also had to endure Barius's obsession with making them suffer.

The invisible energy field hissed as it dissolved and Luke saw the familiar black cloak of Darth Barius swish as the Sith walked in.

"You decided you haven't had enough?" asked Luke.

"Have you?" replied Barius.

"You'll never get anything from me Barius. Torture me all you want. I will not give in."

"No. I don't doubt your resolve, _Master_ _Jedi_. But the girl, she will be mine. I will turn her into a Sith, just as I will destroy the so-called New Republic."

"You've done enough to her! She will not join you, whatever you do, you twisted psychopath!" Luke yelled with the last of his energy. Barius struck him across the face.

"Maybe," he said, grinning darkly, "But someone close to you _will_ join me. I'll make sure of it. Perhaps Leia? Or your nephew Jacen? Either will suffice."

"Neither will. Their resolve is as strong as mine."

"Good. Makes it all the more interesting. But...I'm sure they'll feel differently when they see you like this. Broken."

Barius activated his lightsaber. The sudden red light caused Luke to develop spots in his vision.

"Don't worry, Luke," said Barius, "You'll still be alive when they see you. I promise."

The Sith plunged his lightsaber into the once strong Jedi Master's thigh and the dull pain became a volcano of agony. Luke tried not to cry out, but he couldn't help it. His mind automatically wandered to his sister.

 _Run,_ he told her, _Run before he finds you._

()()()()()

Anakin spotted Palpatine running towards one of the side entrances with Mas Amedda and the Red Guard. He Force jumped over two pods to try and cut him off, but was interrupted by a squadron of reinforcements. All the clones saw before they died was a flash of blue. Anakin sprinted forward and saw Obi-Wan decapitate a clone trooper by the top of the hall. His former master jumped down to join him.

"Nice of you to drop in," said Anakin, not losing any speed

"Well, you look like you could use a hand," replied the older Jedi, who was struggling to keep up with him, "And I could use some running practice."

The two chased after the retreating Sith Lord, but he was too far away and about to reach an exit.

"Kriff it, we're gonna lose-"

Anakin was cut off mid sentence by a pod slamming into the exit. Palpatine stopped in his tracks and turned, eyes blazing.

"Lord Vader, I didn't expect you to show up here," he said, "You are supposed to be at Mustafar."

Anakin clutched his lightsaber tighter.

"I am not Darth Vader," he said, "I am _Anakin Skywalker_ , Jedi Knight!"

Palpatine stared at Anakin with pure loathing.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You have no power over me now, Sidious."

"So be it… _Jedi,"_ growled Palpatine, flicking out a lightsaber from his sleeve, "Now, you will face the true power of the Dark Side!"

Palpatine unleashed a powerful burst of pure energy from his fingertips, but the lightning didn't come anywhere near Anakin. Instead, it was absorbed by a shining violet blade.

"He will not face it alone!" said Mace Windu.

The Red Guard moved towards the Jedi, but collapsed to the ground. Yoda jumped down and ignited his green shoto.

"Misplaced, is your faith in the Dark Side," said the diminutive Jedi.

Palpatine's eyes narrowed.

"I see you have me backed into a corner," he said, "That does not leave me many options."

With blinding speed, Palpatine grabbed Mas Amedda and stabbed him through the heart. He threw the body of his loyal vice-chair at Windu and hit him square in the chest and then used the Force to lift the pod blocking the door and chucked it at the rest of the Jedi. Anakin rolled out of the way and stood up and saw that Sidious had already taken off. He gave chase once again. He saw Sidious's hood turn a corner and did the same, only to be thrown away by a burst of Sith lightning.

"I will find her," said Palpatine, standing over him, "And I will make her and your child suffer."

"NO!"

Palpatine hit him with another bolt of electricity and when the pain cleared, he saw that the Sith had escaped.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called, Windu and Yoda not far behind him, "What happened?"

Anakin turned and looked towards them.

"I failed," he said, "He got away."

()()()()()

The door opened and Luke weakly looked up at Barius.

"Don't worry, Master Jedi. I'm not here to cause you any more pain," said the Sith, "Yet."

Luke's gaze never wavered.

"Then why are you here?" he asked hoarsely.

"To deliver some news. I'm going down to Coruscant. By this time tomorrow, the galaxy will be mine."

"Congratulations," Luke said sarcastically, "I've always wanted to be ruled by a demented Sith Lord. Oh wait, I was for the first 23 years of my life. Guess how that ended for him?"

Barius grinned, which Luke thought was strange. Usually he'd get a lightsaber in the side for insulting him.

"You're gonna make me enjoy this even more," said Barius, taking out something from a cover. He showed the object to Luke.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked the Jedi.

Luke said nothing.

"It's a sword," said Barius, examining the blade, "The Jedi and Sith used it before the invention of lightsabers. Rather crude, but it gets the job done. And…"

The Sith gently grazed the side against Luke's exposed forearm, leaving a small trail of red liqiud.

"It doesn't superheat wounds," continued Barius, "Which means lots and lots of blood."

The Sith stabbed forcefully into the edge of Luke's abdomen and once again the Jedi was rendered helpless at the hands of his enemy.

 **What did you think? Should I change the rating to T or not? Leave your opinions in the reviews. I haven't updated in a while since I decided to take a break from Star Wars and venture into other fandoms and because of exams. From now, I'll update every two weeks, which should get this story wrapped up before The Force Awakens releases. I think that's all. Thanks for reading!**

Thanks to **scottusa1, Sacreum Nova, Bonham Rules,** and the ever reliable **Nataly SkyPot** for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!


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